Hasta La Gadget!

DirecTV has quietly updated both its iPad app and HR34 DVR with a variety of new features for Satellite-loving customers. The application will now resume from where you left off, comes with a much improved search function and best of all, a direct line into the company’s support forums. Meanwhile, the HR34 swallowed a software package that included Pandora, a YouTube landing page and more readable closed captions amongst a raft of other nips and tucks. The former will be available through the app store, while the latter should have arrived on your box overnight, well before you start on that CSI marathon.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

DirecTV quietly updates iPad app, HR34 DVR originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen companies like Microsoft help out low-income people by dropping prices on its hardware and software in the past, and now India’s prime minister’s allegedly taking a similar approach but with mobile handsets being the focus behind this nice gesture — and better yet, at no cost whatsoever. Per the Times of India, sources have told the publication Manmohan Singh’s got a plan in the works that’d bring one mobile device to “every family living below the poverty line,” with said “Har Hath Mein Phone” scheme expected to be announced as early as next week. Notably, if all goes according to the purported plan, this would help over 6 million Indian families, most of which are currently lacking any sort of communication device in their household. There’s still a few days until we find out whether the project is indeed real, for now let’s just hope our friends in India don’t experience some more power outages anytime soon.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

India’s prime minister reportedly working on giving free handsets to low-income families originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the WatchESPN app for iOS got an update that opened up mobile streams for Comcast cable customers back in May, it’s taken until now for Android devices to enjoy the same access. Along with unspecified bug fixes, version 1.6.0 worked on the Nexus 7 and Galaxy S II we tried it on, although we did need to log out and log in again with our account credentials to get the streams working the first time. The video streams we were able to pull in didn’t seem to be quite as high res as those accessed on the iPad however, although all those with the right combination of services and hardware can grab the free app at the source link below and try it out themselves.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software

WatchESPN Android app update finally brings access for Comcast subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 03:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Foursquare 5.0 revamp wasn’t all good news for some of the location service’s most loyal fans: the design quietly scrapped the option to only see check-ins from nearby friends. After much clamoring, Foursquare has found a way to tuck it back in, starting with BlackBerry and iPhone users. A pull or a tap now filters between check-ins worldwide and just those from friends gallivanting around town — just in case you’d rather not see your international friends enjoying the weekend before you do. Android phone owners will have to take Foursquare’s word that their update is “coming soon,” but those who can get it today on other platforms will likely appreciate knowing exactly when it’s time to join friends at that fourth consecutive bar.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Foursquare brings nearby check-ins back to BlackBerry and iPhone, saves our pub crawls originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If staring at the incoming callers’ visage just wasn’t enough, Current’s Caller ID might worth a try. The utility app adds a raft of extra detail to your smartphone when it rings, from recent tweets and status updates through to weather conditions and even location data. After loading up the app, you can connect to your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, which Current Caller ID combines with your existing contact list. Based on your use history, the app will even offer up a time to return missed calls. There’s the nice addition of some metrics between you and your phonebook, visualizing that precarious balance between text messages and calls with your significant other — or a timegraph of when you call Mom. These stats are possibly more useful than the caller ID features, and while the design does jar a little with the typical Android aesthetic, it’s hard to complain when the app’s free. If you’re willing to forgive those minor visual flaws, the download awaits at the source below.

Continue reading Current Caller ID app adds social info, weather details, suggests a good time to ring back

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Current Caller ID app adds social info, weather details, suggests a good time to ring back originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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