Dinosaurs in any shape, size or form are freaking magical. I don’t care if you’re talking about T-Rex or the little critters, I love them all. Dinosaur Zoo is an interactive encyclopedia-type app that lets you see dinos in their natural habitat—attacking, eating and dumping on your command. More »
[Thanks, Chris]
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Apple iCloud brings previously purchased apps back from the dead originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In a move that’s bound to get at least a few MADD moms smiling, Apple’s officially decided to block apps that encourage drunk driving. Section 22.8 of the newly revised App Store Review Guidelines reads:
Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected.
That revision comes on the heels of a request from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, asking that Google, Apple, and RIM yank offending apps from their respective mobile outlets. At the time, Google declined while RIM was quick to jump on the bandwagon, leaving Apple to stew. For now, it looks like the rest of us still have to keep our eyes out for Android users with a propensity for boozing and skirting the fuzz.
Apple to drop DUI checkpoint apps like a bad habit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Test driving an app isn’t entirely unheard of — Apple introduced its lackluster “Try Before You Buy” system last summer and the Android Market’s got a 15-minute return policy. Now T-Mobile’s teamed up with mobile gaming outfit WildTangent to bring a novel approach to looking under the hood of gaming apps: rentals. The partnership promises to bring 25 cent game rentals to your phone or tablet (considering you’re a T-Mo faithful rocking an Android device), giving you the opportunity to see what a particular game is working with before you commit. The new service also lets users play games for free with advertisements, and applies the cost of rentals to future purchases — rent-to-own style. So it won’t bring the same juvenile thrills as the arcade, but it will let you get your game on at 25 cents a pop. No word yet on when the service will go into effect, so don’t go breaking that piggy bank quite yet.
T-mobile, WildTangent to bring 25-cent game rentals to Android devices, harken back to arcade days originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Photo editors are pretty useful: boosting pics to bring out colors, adjusting settings to bring out quality, adding filters to bring out hipsters, etc. Snapseed for iPad is a great photo editor that’s incredibly easy to use. More »
The next step for Panasonic’s UniPhier family of processors for HDTVs and Blu-ray players has been unveiled, taking form as a 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 based design that it claims is the industry’s fastest for TVs. The MN2WS0220 will begin sample shipments this month and it can handle two HDTV streams, plus internet content and smart TV apps all at once while cutting power consumption from the previous generation by 40%. This follows in the footsteps of Toshiba’s Cell-based CEVO TV processors that also bring multiple cores and high speed memory to bear. The other question of course is backwards compatibility, while some of the new Viera Connect apps for 2011 were also compatible with 2010 HDTVs, it’ll be interesting to see if Panasonic’s platform can take advantage of the new chip without making televisions that are currently on shelves obsolete, or if it considers joining forces with the Google TV cadre for apps like SlingPlayer and OnLive.
Panasonic’s 1.4 GHz dual-core Smart TV chip is industry’s fastest, should load Netflix quicker originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Being an outspoken executive often involves a steady diet of crow. So, when Sanjay Jha seemingly threw Android developers under the proverbial bus with last week’s comments, it seemed only a matter of time before the backtracking commenced. Motorola has fittingly issued a clarification on the CEO’s statement, explaining that Jha didn’t mean to suggest that apps were at fault for 70-percent of returns. Instead, they’re a contributing factor, along with poor battery life and slow performance. The company also took a moment to point out its continued support of the Android developer community, just in case anyone on that side was planning on adding to the aforementioned return rate.
Motorola clarifies position on Android apps, is still cool with developer community originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The PlayBook isn’t even two months old yet and it’s already scored a second update to its QNX-based OS. First up from BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 is an upgraded Facebook app, which is now a preloaded part of the system software and can do some really neat things… like delete unwanted messages. Devs will be happy to hear that they can include in-app payments, while our European friends should be excited about the expanded language support. There are a few other welcome changes, including some enterprise-friendly tweaks to video chat, a new pop-up power menu (pictured above), and the ability to charge even when the device is turned off — a constraint we’re sure had at least a few owners pulling a Picard-like facepalm. The update is available now and, while you wait for it download, check out the source link for more details.
BlackBerry PlayBook gets updated with new power menu, better Facebook app, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iTunes leak suggests ‘Automatic Download’ over-the-air updates are coming in iOS 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha took time yesterday to talk business strategy, the advantages of Android, and to take developers to task for poorly optimized apps. At several points during the 50-minute chat the topic turned to lackluster battery life, and Jha placed blame squarely at the feet of hastily tested apps — which he said can sap between 30 and 40 percent of your phone’s juice. The chairman even suggested their effect on longevity and performance were the impetus behind 70 percent of handset returns. But, the company has a solution, and (surprisingly) its name is Blur. In a moment of presumably unintentional creepiness Dr. Jha said, “MotoBlur allows us to know, with precision, what battery life you’re seeing,” before suggesting that future phones could warn you about power draining apps and bandwidth hogs. What wasn’t clear though, was if he was talking about the existing Android battery manager or if Motorola has been collecting usage data — since we never opted-in to such a program, we’re really hoping it’s the former. Hit up the source link for the entire conversation, you’ll find the relevant bits at the 4- and 25-minute marks.
Motorola’s Jha blames apps for poor battery life, says Blur can save the day originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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