Hasta La Gadget!

Sprint was the first major US carrier to start delivering Jelly Bean to Galaxy S III owners, but it no longer stands alone now that the T-Mobile edition is officially receiving its update. If you’re part of the initial crop deemed eligible on Magenta’s network, a check either over-the-air or through Kies should put Android 4.1.1 on the Samsung flagship. T-Mobile’s version of the upgrade delivers the expected dashes of Google Now and Project Butter as well provider-specific fixes for WiFi calling. Don’t worry if there isn’t an immediate notice, as carrier-linked OS updates usually take weeks to get everyone on the same page; the main question is when all the other big US networks will follow suit.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S III for T-Mobile USA receives its Jelly Bean update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon is on the cusp of launching the complete Kindle line in Japan, so it’s only right that the online retailer fine-tune its firmware for local reading habits. A new version 5.3.0 update for the Kindle Paperwhite puts much of that focus on Manga, introducing options to fit the stylized comics to the screen as well as tweak their page refresh interval separately from that of plain old text. Wider efforts to improve font rendering touch on Japanese characters in the process. Even if we’re a little rusty with our hiragana, there’s still some usability tweaks in store: settings are accessible directly from the menu, readers can purge their home screens of recommended content and sample books now sync their position relative to the full title. The bookworms among us that are too impatient to wait for an automatic update to 5.3.0 can hit the source link for the full skinny and a fast-track installation through USB.

Filed under: Amazon

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite update optimizes your Manga mania, offers quicker settings originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 04:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The inside of a MacBook Pro certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re willing to pair your recklessness with a side of wild abandon, then you might just have what it takes to upgrade the storage of the Retina-equipped 13-inch model. OWC is more than willing to test your limits with its 480GB Mercury Aura Pro, an SSD module that’s now certified for use with Apple’s latest laptop. While its $580 price will deter many, the 480GB option compares favorably to the 512GB upgrade from Apple, which rings in at a healthy $800. OWC says that additional capacity sizes will be announced this November, which is reason to remain hopeful if this one has priced you out of the market.

Filed under: Storage

OWC certifies 480GB Mercury Aura Pro SSD for 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Numerically, going from version 3.2 of an app to 4.0 makes much more sense than starting at 1.7. But, Pandora won’t let a little thing like logic stand in its way. Today both the iOS and Android editions of the internet radio app are being updated to 4.0, regardless of the latter’s lagging version number. 4.0 brings with it a significant refresh of the UI which Pandora bills as “uniform,” though we’d call them feature equivalent instead. “Uniform” implies that the apps look exactly the same, when in fact they adhere to the to the design language of their respective platforms. In addition to a new look there’s a lot of new capabilities baked in, including quicker access to genre stations and the ability to rename stations you’ve created. There’s also a new personal music profile that offers a detailed timeline of your listening habits, which you can share with others. (You can also keep your profile private, just in case you’re embarrassed about that Quad City DJ’s station you’re always listening to.) The new social angle is highlighted with a music feed page that lets you see what your friends and people with similar tastes are listening too. Hit up Google Play and iTunes to update now, and don’t miss the gallery below and the PR after the break.

Continue reading Pandora app gets major redesign on Android and iOS with new social features

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Software, Mobile

Pandora app gets major redesign on Android and iOS with new social features originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There were balloons. There were streamers. There were brand new Ultrabooks, members of staff unfurling banners, and — once other customers started to arrive — there was even a vibe of genuine excitement for today’s official launch of Windows 8 in the UK. But whichever aisle I scanned, nowhere was to be found what I had come to buy: a Windows 8 disc for desktop upgraders. It was a faltering start, but it was also strangely symbolic of my mission — namely, to explore what Microsoft’s latest operating system can do for regular desktop folk. People who, in other words, aren’t yet looking to invest in touch-enabled monitors or laptops or all-in-ones; who rarely get the chance to lean back with a media-consumption tablet; and who simply want to upgrade their traditional tower PC before getting on with their lives. Read on past the break and you can begin this potentially short, hopefully sweet journey with me, starting with a quick rundown of my test rig (which also happens to be my mission critical work computer) and an anti-climactic revelation about whether, in the end, I ever found the software box I was looking for.

Continue reading Windows 8 upgrade diary: the buying experience

Filed under: Desktops, Software

Windows 8 upgrade diary: the buying experience originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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