Hasta La Gadget!

The future for Augen’s $150 tablet and $100 smartbook isn’t looking good — not only do the blue-light specials have slow processors and resistive touchscreens, but their official Google app privileges have just been revoked. To be fair, Android Market actually wasn’t working on either device from the get-go, but Augen just sent us a statement confirming that the entire proprietary suite (including Market, Gmail and more) was preloaded on the devices without Google’s permission, and won’t appear on new batches that make it to store shelves. Augen says it’s working with Google to secure rights to these apps for new products further down the road, but if you want a dirt-cheap mass market Android device with these apps preinstalled, you’d best head on down to Kmart… assuming they’re finally in stock, of course. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Augen’s Kmart tablet and smartbook won’t have Google-branded apps from now on

Augen’s Kmart tablet and smartbook won’t have Google-branded apps from now on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Copy protection has always been a concern in the Android Market, primarily because applications can be sideloaded onto phones without a root or other modification from the end user. In a brief announcement made today, Eric Chu has made clear that a new method for protecting the work of paid app creators will be implemented long-term, with the plan being to “replace the current Android Market copy-protection mechanism over the next few months.” This new “licensing service” is available now for those that want in, providing developers with a secure mechanism that can ping a Market License Server upon launch in order to see if a particular app was indeed purchased legitimately. It’s hard to say how exactly this will affect usability (specifically in offline scenarios), but it’s certainly an interesting twist to the whole situation. Expect to hear lots of growling on both sides as more and more apps opt to take advantage.

[Thanks, Jonathan]

New ‘licensing service’ replacing existing copy protection method in Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given the company’s focus on 3D this year, it’s not at all a surprise to see Sony’s 2010 line of ES receivers (and lone Blu-ray player) touched up with a dash of 3D support and HDMI 1.4-compatible features, but it may be a shocker to see their sale restricted to “specialty AV retailers and custom installers.” That means no Amazon.com or other online retailers, but wherever one finds the STR-DA5600ES, STRA-DA4600ES, and STR-DA 3600ES, they’ll include IP, RS-232 and IR control support for easy home automation integration, iPhone remote control (Android — and of course we’d expect Google TV — version coming soon) as well as working as an Ethernet hub and DLNA streaming device. At the top of the line the STR-DA5600ES ships in September for $2,000 and is able to automatically calibrate audio for speaker types (like last year’s), plus locations and angles, function as a DLNA Live Audio server itself and stream audio and video to other rooms via HDMI (six in, two out) or CAT5e. While the remaining models do a bit less, for a bit less when they all ship in August, the STR-DN2010 is a new model for 2010 at just $800. As for the Blu-ray player, the BDP-S1700ES ships with 3D movie play back, BRAVIA Internet video and Qriocity streaming WiFi and Gracenote database browser for $400 this August, check for a picture and specs on all after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s 2010 ES line includes 3D and excludes online retailers; Android remote app on the way

Sony’s 2010 ES line includes 3D and excludes online retailers; Android remote app on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, we know that checking the Android Market for updates its a nervous habit during brief periods of downtime for many of us — but for now, you’re going to have to go back to chewing your nails or tapping your fingers on the table, because the Market’s down. Well, that’s only partially true — you can still get into the Market app on your phone without any errors, you just won’t see any apps in there, which renders it pretty useless by our estimation. Hang on, don’t panic — we imagine this won’t last long.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: It’s still down for us on a Froyo Nexus One, but if you take a gander through our comments section, you’ll see that a lot of folks are having no trouble at all — so it’s probably based on your location, your devices, and your operating system. As far as we can tell, it’s not restricted to Froyo since we’ve received a number of tips on the issue and we’re hearing of some Droids that can’t see apps. Keep the observations coming, folks!

Update 2: Google just reached out to us to let us know that it should be fixed and that the total outage was somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. They’re apologizing for the inconvenience — but with the Droid X being announced today, can you really hold a grudge?

Android Market is down, showing zero apps (update: fixed) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype’s PR folks have been unusually loquacious today, as they’ve responded to a query about whether HTC’s EVO 4G would get a Skype client with a deep and meaningful forward-looking statement, underpinned by a promise of an Android app “for all consumers globally to download regardless of carriers.” This universally available addition to the Market should arrive “later this year,” but what’s important about it is that it’s preceded by a lengthy spiel about Skype’s ambition to “set the bar on mobile video calling,” which it also intends to do this year. Does this necessarily mean that Skype video calling is coming to Android in time for us to wish granny happy Hanukkah over video chat? No. Is it a well constructed insinuation to that effect? Hell yes. Read the full statement at the source, or find the juiciest excerpt after the break.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

Continue reading Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year?

Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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