The 5-inch Android-based Streak is expected to hit stores in Britain in early June, and the U.S. by the end of summer. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20005865-260.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Circuit Breaker/a/p
Hey folks, it’s just come to our attention that Enso — a French startup that received notoriety for selling vaporware tablets — has been using Engadget’s good name to convince irate customers that its product actually exists. We gave Enso the benefit of the doubt at first, but let’s put things in perspective: we have not received an zenPad tablet, and in fact, we no longer expect to. Enso has now promised us a review unit on five separate occasions beginning in early April, and missed each deadline it set for itself. We do not endorse the supposed product, and we’d appreciate it if you pay no attention when company founders tell you otherwise — or set up fake review websites, for that matter. That’s just not cool.
No, we didn’t get an Enso zenPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The problems that have emerged in China at one of Foxconn’s largest factories continue — with reports this morning that an eleventh person has fallen from a building there, making him the ninth person to die there this year. Foxconn’s CEO Guo Tai-ming yesterday released a statement to the Chinese press addressing the situation publicly for the first time. He stated: “We believe that we are definitely not a sweatshop. It’s very difficult to manage a manufacturing team of 800,000 something. With the others around the world it adds up to almost 900,000, so there’s a lot to be done every day. However, we believe that we’ll soon be able to stabilize this situation.”
The video also, however, details a new undercover report — this time eight men who met online — three of whom ended up being recruited by Foxconn. Their claims? New employees must sign a voluntary affidavit committing to between 60 and 100 hours of overtime each month — far more than the legal limit of 36 hours. Managers often verbally abuse workers, and randomly deduct pay from their performance bonuses. The 900 yuan minimum wage per month (around $132) is very low in comparison to the company’s profits and standing in the country. Possibly the most interesting tidbit unearthed here is the claim that over the past three months, Foxconn has lost about 50,000 workers each month, and as such, has become desperate to make up for the lost manpower. Recruitment standards — which used to include proof of secondary education — have been all but dropped, and new recruits need only show identification to obtain a position. Finally, Foxconn has apparently hired about 50 new counselors over the past two days, and the front-line managers are also now trying to communicate with the workers to get a feel for the situation. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for further developments, but in the meantime, hit up the source link to view the full news report in Chinese.
Foxconn CEO: ‘We are definitely not a sweatshop’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 10:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
AT&T’s latest idea is actually kind of brilliant on multiple levels: totally free Wi-Fi in Times Square. And it could be how they save their network. More »
How good can a $15,000 B W 802 Diamond speaker sound? Really, really spectacular. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20005804-47.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Audiophiliac/a/p
Our BFFs over at Joystiq have what seems to be a pretty solid line on PSN+, with multiple sources verifying features mostly in line with what was gleaned from that survey last year. Lucky for us, most of the features seem to have to do with giving new features to paying users, instead of taking away functionality from the existing free service. Notables include exclusive DLC, PSP Minis, and PSone Classics, “first hour” demo access, Sony Protection Plan service, and cross-game voice chat. The sources seem to be less clear on pricing for all these goodies, but someone tossed out a speculative $9.99. What everyone does seem to agree on is that we should be seeing this announced in full at Sony’s E3 media briefing a few weeks from now, so start stashing those Hamiltons!
Sony PSN+ rumors thicken for E3: new features for paid users, free users can still play online originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There’s little reason to visit Times Square in New York unless you’re a sandal’n’socks wearing, guidebook-toting tourist (or if you work there), but AT&T just made visiting the tackiest plaza in Manhattan a little bit more attractive.
As of today, AT&T customers can grab free Wi-Fi when not buying helium balloons or miniature Empire State Buildings. This, we presume, is a way to improve the telco’s notoriously bad data performance in several metropolitan centers. The hotspot (singular) is located somewhere on 7th Avenue between 45th and 47th Streets. I like to think of it as being lodged between the McDonald’s golden arches and the TGI Friday’s sat next door. Once you have connected to any one of AT&T’s hot-spots, your phone should remember and flip over to any other AT&T spot whenever it encounters one.
This is AT&T’s first ever free outdoor hotspot, says the Wall Street Journal, and is a trial that could make its way out of tourist hell and into three other cities, and thence possibly into the world at large: Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco would be a perfect spot.
Setting up a Wi-Fi network is presumably a lot less hassle law-wise than getting permission for another cell-tower, and at least AT&T is doing something about its spotty network. It might not be an entirely fair test, though. Do the bridge-and-tunnel folks even have smartphones?
AT&T Sets Up Free Wi-Fi In Times Square to Ease iPhone Load [WSJ]
NYC photo: Charlie Sorrel
If you need a few more pixels in your video chats but don’t necessarily have the processor power to manage them all, you need a Skype HD-certified camera with an on-board hardware encoding. The TouchCam N1 from faceVsion is the latest to ship, a $120 model that manages 720p recording and also includes dual unidirectional mics to ensure that your voice gets through loud and clear from any angle. That seems to be the only real advantage over the Freetalk Everyman HD, which recently went on sale itself — for $70. The N1 does also offer a wider 78-degree lens compared to the Freetalk’s 58, but whether that’s worth the extra cheddar is something you’ll have to decide.
Continue reading FaceVsion ships its 720p TouchCam N1 to vowel-averse Skypers
FaceVsion ships its 720p TouchCam N1 to vowel-averse Skypers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You may have a hard time buying yourself a full-sized hydrogen-powered auto, but thanks to Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies you can at least get a 1:10 scale version. The company’s H-Cell 2.0 fuel cell kit, unveiled back in February, is now shipping to forward-looking enthusiasts and comes with everything you need to mount it on a tiny boat, little plane, or R/C car (like the Tamiya TRF416 shown above). While Horizon indicates the cell will keep that car moving at 45mph for a full hour, an impressive figure, they still haven’t told us another very important number: the cost. We do, however, have the full system specs just after the break, along with a demo video of the thing in action. It may not be as fast as your neighbor’s nitro-powered beast, but what has he done for the environment lately?
Gallery: Horizon H-Cell 2.0 fuel cell
Continue reading Horizon’s H-Cell 2.0 hydrogen fuel cell for R/C cars now shipping (video)
Horizon’s H-Cell 2.0 hydrogen fuel cell for R/C cars now shipping (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Yes, the “iPhone 3G is dead” rumors are flying fast, and our latest entry is hardly a rumor: Apple’s online store currently lists the solitary 8GB iPhone 3G next to the full iPhone 3GS crop, but there’s no longer a tasty “select” button below it. Usually if something’s out of stock on the Apple store it will just say so, along with a projected time of delay, but with the 4G presumably around the corner this could indeed be marking the end of the 3G’s last stand.
[Thanks, J]
iPhone 3G missing a ‘select’ button on Apple Store, might not be long for this earth originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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