Hasta La Gadget!

You know what’s wrong with most TVs? The fact that you can’t draw on them, right? Well as we learned this morning, Panasonic has developed its own solution to the problem with the newly announced Touch Pen and we managed to get hand(s) on. The wireless pen allows you to draw directly onto compatible Panasonic TVs, annotate, draw, whatever takes your fancy, and then share these images via a range of different connectivity options (via a paired tablet and Panasonic’s Viera Remote 2.0 app, or save to USB etc). Panasonic was keen to point out that, unlike existing solutions, the Touch Pen doesn’t need any extra hardware, just the TV and the device itself. The actual hardware part is somewhat large, but not cumbersome, and it’s pretty clear that this was designed to be comfortable for most hands, yet durable, particularly suitable for children. This comes as no surprise considering that the pen is also effectively a HID device, doubling as a stylus for input and game control. While we were at the booth we loaded up a simple game, and used the pen to control the penguins on the ice, much like flicking angry birds on a phone.

In actual use, if you are watching something and you have a sudden burst of inspiration, all you need to do is hold the pen to the screen, and after a short wait the TV grabs a shot of the screen, much like taking a screenshot on a smartphone. With the picture snagged, a simple art interface comes up, with options for colors, pen types, undo, save and so on. We spent a few moments amusing ourselves by adding comedy facial accoutrements to the onscreen protagonist. We can definitely see that this would be a fun novelty for home use, of particular interest to kids. There is also potential for some simple business use too. Whichever case use appeals most to you, over all it’s just another input option, and if you’re like us, that’s always a welcome addition. Once again, Panasonic were tight-lipped on when we might see this, and for how much, but don’t be surprised if you see this pop back up some time around summer.

Sean Cooper and Steve Dent contributed to this report.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

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If you’re on Verizon and don’t feel like racking up your plastic when you buy Play store apps or content, the carrier will soon give you the option of putting it on your phone bill, according to a recent Google tweet. Mountain View’s had the option for a while now, with T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T having already jumped on the app-billing bandwagon, which left Verizon as the final major to climb aboard. Other than saying that you’ll be able to bill apps and music that way, details are scant — but considering Big Red’s whopping Android lineup, it’s about time.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon

Google to Verizon Android users: carrier billing coming to Play store originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Apple struggles to figure out how to help its users find their way, the mapping experts at Google have just launched a way to get folks to diverge a bit from their given path. Field Trip, released for Android by Google-owned Niantic Labs, runs in the background on your Android handset, eagerly waiting for you to get near a point of interest. Once that happens, it leaps into action, showing you a card for one of thousands of cool locations — historic spots, museums, restaurants and the like. Google’s partnered with a bunch of taste makers for the project, including Flavorpill, Cool Hunting and its own Zagat, to get things done. You can vote choices up and down, change the frequency of pop ups and post your findings to Twitter, Facebook and that one Plus social network. There’s also a driving mode serves as an auditory tour guide when you’re behind the wheel. The app’s available now as a free download in Play. The iOS version, on the other hand, is coming soon.

Psst… yes, it appears to be US-only for now. Bah, humbug.

Continue reading Google’s Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Google’s Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that Google Play gift card support we told you about just this morning? Well now things got real. Literally. The pic above shows one of the shrink-wrapped critters in a $25 denomination. Android Central claims they were sent a few different pictures, showing $10 varieties also — and as we can see from the box — they’re good for music, movies, books, apps and (mysteriously) “more.” So if you’re after that hot new game, now’s about the time to start dropping hints to your nearest and dearest.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablet PCs

Google Play gift cards show up for real, come in $10 and $25 flavors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And just like that it’s back. Following a yesterday’s temporary stay of the ban on Google’s HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus by Judge Koh, the soon-to-be Jelly Bean-loaded device is again up for sale at the Play store — and a bit earlier than expected. If you’ll recall, Google notes that Android 4.1 apparently mitigates the issues brought up within the dispute by Apple, which has until July 12th to issue a response on the matter. Orders are slated to ship in “two to three weeks,” (see update below) so we’d suggest you grab one quick while it’s fresh and tasty to ensure your taste buds get the latest Android sugar fix.

Update: Well that was quick. Just a few hours after going up for sale, the shipping estimate has been reduced from ”two to three weeks” to ”one to two weeks.” It’s so close you can almost taste it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

PSA: Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ up for sale again at Google Play store (update: now shipping in ‘1-2 weeks’) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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