Hasta La Gadget!

Google makes a lot of acquisitions, some of them more important than others. Its latest purchase might skew towards the grander side, as it just bought imaging app developer Nik Software. While the company is known for pro photography apps like Capture NX and its Efex Pro series, the real prize might be Snapseed, Nik’s simpler image tool for desktop and iOS users. Both Nik and Google’s Senior Engineering VP Vic Gundotra are silent on the exact plans, but it doesn’t take much to imagine a parallel between Facebook’s buyout of Instagram and what Google is doing here: there’s no direct, Google-run equivalent to Instagram’s social photo service in Android or for Google+ users, and Nik’s technology might bridge the gap. Whether or not Googlegram becomes a reality, the deal is likely to create waves among photographers of all kinds — including those who’ve never bought a dedicated camera.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Google buys Snapseed developer Nik Software, raises the eyebrows of Instagram shutterbugs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA’s road into mobile may have just taken an unwanted (if temporary) detour. The company confirmed at week’s end that its Mobile Business Unit’s General Manager Mike Rayfield quietly left the company on August 24th to join another firm, although we don’t know whether he’s headed to a rival or in another direction altogether. NVIDIA also hasn’t yet said who replaces Rayfield at the helm. No matter who takes his place, the departure is a significant blow to the crew in Santa Clara: the executive had been heading mobile development at NVIDIA since 2005, before anyone really knew the company was interested in the handheld space, and helped make the Tegra name synonymous with fast Android phones and tablets like the One X and Nexus 7. There’s little doubt that more than a few competitors would like to have him onboard.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

NVIDIA loses mobile division lead Mike Rayfield originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s potentially bad news ahead if you’re hoping to wipe the drive on that future HP Envy X2 and load Ubuntu — Intel reportedly claimed at IDF that Clover Trail-based Atom processors “cannot” handle Linux properly. As outlined in The Inquirer‘s account of events, the issue is more a matter of optimization than an outright block: Linux doesn’t yet know how to cope with all of Clover Trail’s power state changes at the kernel level, which would put any penguin-powered PC at a disadvantage. Intel would really, really prefer that you run Windows 8, as the new Atom and Microsoft’s OS are tuned to work hand-in-hand. Linux might catch up, but the Windows-only emphasis is a sharp break from Intel’s tendency to shower love on open-source OS projects across the board, including ongoing work like Intel-native Android builds or Tizen.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Software

Intel claims Clover Trail-based Atom won’t properly run Linux, points us to Windows 8 instead originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not uncommon for executives of smaller companies to jump ship within a few years of the business selling to a larger firm, whether it’s out of entrepreneurial restlessness or unhappiness with the corporate status quo. We don’t know which of the two (if any) is a factor with Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer, but tipsters for AllThingsD and Bloomberg still say that he left Apple in June to “pursue other projects.” The reported departure follows that of Dag Kittlaus, who quit Apple a year earlier, and should leave the Siri team without the brunt of its early leadership two years after Apple bought the company. Although the impact is uncertain, this doesn’t necessarily mean Apple’s version of Siri is at risk: along with holding on to any remaining Siri staff, Cupertino will have had a long time to familiarize itself with the code. We’d also take it all with a grain of salt. Apple has declined to comment, and Cheyer’s LinkedIn profile still shows him as an Apple employee. Whatever’s the truth, the rumor’s sources don’t have the best timing.

[Image credit: Araya Diaz for TechCrunch, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

Insiders claim Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer has left Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’d be forgiven for wondering just what Amazon was up to with Special Offers ads on the Kindle Fire HD: we were given the hope that we could opt out from them, only to watch that dream dashed moments later. Amazon must have been listening to frustrations over the mixed messages, as it just let Engadget and others in the media know that yes, you’ll have the option to drop the ads after all. Pay $15 after picking up the new tablet and those lock screen promos will disappear forever. There’s no sign that there will be a Kindle Fire shipping with ads missing from the get-go, but you know what they say about gift horses. You can find Amazon’s full statement to us after the break.

Continue reading Amazon has change of heart, will allow opt-out of Kindle Fire HD ads for $15

Filed under: Tablets

Amazon has change of heart, will allow opt-out of Kindle Fire HD ads for $15 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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