Hasta La Gadget!

There are two types of people in this world — those who need absolute silence to sleep, and those who need background noise to carry them off to sleepy land. Unfortunately, when these people share a room or, worse yet, a bed, wars can ensue. Sleeping with a pair of headphones on is, at best, uncomfortable. That is, unless you happen to own a pair of Bedphones — or so its creator Eric Dubs claims. These ear-hook style buds are extremely thin and held in place by a length of moldable memory wire. There’s even a Bedphones app that can turn the screen of your Android phone into a giant play/pause button, slowly lower the volume as a timer counts down, or shut off completely when you fall asleep (as determined by how much you move) in “smart mode.” We wouldn’t expect this tiny pair of phones to produce the greatest sound, but they’re probably more than adequate for drifting off to an audiobook or podcast. They’re available at the source link for $30.

Bedphones put tunes in your ears, won’t come between you and your pillow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tablets and smartphones might rule the present, but if you ask the folks at WIMM Labs, the future of data consumption is a one-inch by one-inch square. The Palo Alto startup just revealed its new, wearable computing platform, developed, in part, through a partnership with Foxconn, that it hopes will change the way we look at computers. Currently known as the WIMM wearable platform, this new modular device packs a full-color 160 x 160 touchscreen, WiFi and Blutetooth connectivity, an accelerometer and magnetometer, and runs on good old Android. What’s more, it’s waterproof. Basically, it’s a tiny, multifunctional computer, packed with “micro apps” that can make it anything from a smart watch to a health monitor, from a mobile payment device to an all-in-one remote. As of now, the company doesn’t have plans to market it direct to consumers, but says it has a few partnerships in the works that could bring a WIMM-powered something to market by year’s end; a developer kit will go on sale in the next few weeks for an undisclosed price. If you’re itching to ditch that tired old diamond-encrusted nano watch, check out the galleries below and hop on past the break for our first impressions, video, and full PR.

Continue reading WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on

WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were thoroughly infatuated with LauncherPro developer Federico Carnale’s then-unnamed music app the first time we saw it in beta, bringing Metro UI styled playback to our Android lifestyles. Now UberMusic v1.0 is available on the Android Market, flexing its customizable skills for the princely sum of $3.49. Don’t think this is just some ripoff however, while one of the skins (that can also be found on the Market) is a Zune lookalike, third parties can make it look however they might like, including the widgets. If you missed our demo the first time around you can check out the video after the break to see why we’re so excited, or hit the source link to purchase now. Allergic to spending money on apps? Don’t give up all hope, as the creator tweets an ad-supported free version may be on the way as well.

Continue reading LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market

LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A recent update to the Droid X has owners up in arms.Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com

A software update is supposed to deliver the latest and greatest features to your device. It’s not supposed to cripple your device. And yet that’s exactly what happened to a number of customers who received the most recent update to their Droid X phones.

In early June, Verizon began rolling out Android operating system version 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) to the Droid X, which previously ran Android 2.2 (Froyo). Shortly thereafter, the grievances started rolling in on Motorola’s online customer message board.

Complaints about the update spanned the entire gamut. Customers experienced random reboots, delayed start up times, weakened 3G connectivity, reduced keyboard functionality; the list goes on and on. In two of the update’s most egregious offenses, a number of users seems to have lost the ability to store contact information locally on the phone itself.

“In my view, it takes away more than it gives, and it attempts to impose a server-based model for contacts management that has proven to be a disaster for me, my family and my business,” one frustrated Droid X owner wrote.

Google has continually faced problems keeping all the different Android-powered handsets up to date on the latest version of its software. For some phones, it’s simply an issue of the hardware being too old to run the newest Android release. For others, the reasoning isn’t as clear. It is worth noting, however, that manufacturers have less incentive to devote company resources to update older devices rather than spend time on newer ones. It’s unfortunate to see a software update do more harm than good, especially when a company provides a software update to a phone that was released over a year ago.

In one lengthy, exhaustive post, a user on the official Motorola message board web site has documented all the reported problems associated with the update: 80 different problems to date.

Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Motorola issued a statement to Wired.com Friday morning: “We’ve noted the forum feedback, and we are working closely with Verizon on an update for these users.”

An official Motorola forums moderator stated multiple times over the past two months that the company is looking into a software fix, but no official timeline has been released.

The kicker to all of this? You can’t easily roll back to the previous version of Android without using third-party software. That means voiding your phone’s warranty, which isn’t exactly a popular option.

So unfortunately for frustrated Droid X owners, they’ll have to play the waiting game with Verizon and Motorola until a fix is released — or shell out the cash for a new phone. Was that the plan all along?

There’s a Chinese saying that will suit most of our Western readers here: “quenching thirst by gazing at plums.” Oh yes, we’re talking about Dell’s Streak 10 Pro alright. Just as promised, said US company has skipped its home country to debut its first 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet in China (ka-ching!), and we happened to be at the Beijing press event for some intimate hands-on time. To be honest, you won’t be needing many imaginary plums for this Android’s rather mundane specs: it’s equipped with the oh-so-familiar 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 chip, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 1,280 x 800 LCD (with Corning’s Gorilla Glass), 5 megapixel camera and 2 megapixel camera back and front, and regular-size SDHC expansion. That said, Chinese buyers can grab this 16GB WiFi tablet plus 2GB of cloud storage for just ¥2,999 ($465) a pop — a slightly more attractive price compared to its competitors. Check out our impressions after the break.

Update: Hands-on video added after the break.

Continue reading Dell Streak 10 Pro tablet makes global debut in China, we go hands-on (update: video!)

Dell Streak 10 Pro tablet makes global debut in China, we go hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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