Hasta La Gadget!

Yes folks — the world is turning upside down. Apple has announced an iPhone OS 4 event on April 8th at 10AM PT for a “sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software.” So if you’re wondering about the future of the platform… your answers will appear sooner than you think. The team collectively dropped an “OMG” when we saw this news, as it’s pretty unusual to see such a big event coming from Apple right on the heels of something like the iPad launch. Of course we’ll be there — at Apple’s Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino — live and direct, providing the liveblogging coverage you know and love.

Apple holding iPhone OS 4 event, April 8th! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We heard some pretty ridiculous estimates over the weekend, but these figures are straight out of Cupertino’s mouth: over 300,000 iPads were sold on April 3rd. Specifically, that many were moved in the US as of midnight (PT, we’re assuming) on Saturday, though this does include deliveries of pre-ordered units to customers, deliveries to channel partners (such as Best Buy) and sales at Apple Retail Stores. We should point out, though, that just because Best Buy purchased a bundle of ’em doesn’t mean that end users have (yet), but still, this is a pretty impressive feat for something that not everyone was convinced that they “needed” in January. If you’ll recall, Apple only sold 270,000 iPhones during its first 30 hours on the market, yet it moved over a million iPhone 3GS units during that handset’s opening weekend. In related news, iPad users also downloaded over a million apps and over 250,000 ebooks from the iBookstore during launch day, with Steve Jobs himself noting that “iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.” Now, let’s see if these guys can keep pace through the first full week.

[Thanks, Tal]

Apple sells over 300,000 iPad tablets on US launch day originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This probably isn’t a response to the 3D onslaught or even “superbit” releases like the upcoming Avatar 2D disc, but just in case the standard 50GB Blu-ray discs were beginning to feel a bit — how do you say… cramped? — the Blu-ray Disc Association’s rolling out a new BDXL format capable of holding up to 128GB (write-once) or 100GB (rewriteable). Before you get too excited, you should know that you’ll need a new player to access these — even a firmware update won’t save the PS3 this time — since they go up to three or four layers deep and will likely need a more powerful laser. While our home movies can be compressed just fine, corporations currently still using other mediums for archiving might appreciate the extra space, as well as the new IH-BD discs, designed with one 25GB read-only layer, and one 25GB rewritable layer on the same platter. If you’re looking for a place to permanently back up that super high-res “amateur photography,” take heart — a consumer version is in the works, though it will first be aimed at markets where Blu-ray Disc recorders are popular, or available at all (read: maybe Japan, definitely not the US). No word when the new hardware will actually hit the market, but final specs are due “in the next few months.” In the meantime, check out the full details after the break.

Continue reading Blu-ray Discs expand to 128GB under new BDXL spec

Blu-ray Discs expand to 128GB under new BDXL spec originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, we’re not sure what appadvice is using to back its claims, but it’s been pumping out supposed iPad app leaks for a few weeks now with screenshots and videos that tell a convincing story. Now they’ve linked us to a host of new iPad apps with Netflix and ABC player being two of the most notable. The free Neflix app is said to be launching along side Apple’s slate on April 3rd letting Netflix subscribers browse and manage their queues. More importantly, it will also allow subscribers to stream Netflix’s online collection of videos. Of course, if this is true then we expect to see a Netflix app land for the iPhone and iPod touch as well in adherence to Reed Hastings’ previous comments.

There’s also a free ABC app tipped for April 3rd giving iPad owners WiFi access to full episodes of shows like Lost and Grey’s Anatomy. And with CBS seemingly getting into the HTML5 game we suspect that the demand for Hulu in the US will dampen if all this comes to fruition — especially if Hulu adopts a subscription model. Not enough? Then check out the 1,350 (and counting) approved iPad apps in the source link below or preview 700 of them in a video after the break where you’ll also catch a few more Netflix and ABC screenies. We’ll have to wait until Saturday to see how many of these actually appear in the iTunes App Store.

Update: Looks like these apps are coming straight from Apple’s app database since AppShopper is also showing Netflix and ABC Player iPad apps. Don’t believe it? Then why not grab some screenshots of your own direct from Apple’s servers. This is legit folks.

[Thanks, Sean M.]

Continue reading Netflix streaming, ABC, and 1,348 more iPad approved apps revealed

Netflix streaming, ABC, and 1,348 more iPad approved apps revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Large Hadron Collider is about to turn useful, people. Having recently jacked up its particle acceleration power to create 3.5 TeV (trillion electron volts) collisions, the researchers are today pressing ahead with plans to go to a full 7 TeV, which — you won’t be surprised to hear — has never been done before. Provided the requisite 3.5 TeV per beam is reached, sustained and properly channeled into creating useful collisions, CERN will finally have the data it needs to start its long-awaited physics program based off the findings provided by the LHC. Best of all? The latest world record attempt is being broadcast live over the web right now so why not hit up that link below to witness some history in the making?

Update: The momentous first protonic collisions at 7 TeV have just taken place, at just past 1PM CET. Now the time comes for researchers to parse all the incoming raw data, pore over it, analyze it, etc. We’ll leave that to them, it’s not like you can expect the God Particle to be discovered instantly. To fill the time, we invite you to come past the break for our blow-by-blow updating adventure from this morning plus video of the big moment.

Continue reading Large Hadron Collider to search for God Particle using 7 TeV proton collisions, via live webcast (update: first collisions, video!)

Large Hadron Collider to search for God Particle using 7 TeV proton collisions, via live webcast (update: first collisions, video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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