Feb 01

Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility

Posted in: Android, att, HP, interview, ios, iPhone, nfc, Sports, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, verizon, video, wifi

We woke up this morning in Dallas to 20 degree temperatures and a parking lot covered in ice. Not exactly the kind of weather the NFL was hoping for when it selected the new Cowboys Stadium to host Super Bowl XLV, but it didn’t stop both teams and media from making their way — however slowly — to Arlington for Super Bowl Media Day. Naturally, the likes of ESPN were there in full force, but rather than picking apart defensive schemes and seeing who could outgun Troy Polamalu for the longest mane in North Texas, we spent our time asking about mobile OS preferences and soaking up knowledge from Cowboys CIO Pete Walsh. With a price tag well north of $1 billion on the new Cowboys Stadium, the home to the world’s largest HD display is certainly one of the most technologically advanced in the world. It’s packing 884 wireless access points throughout (not to mention an internal network operations center that constantly monitors activity on each one), 260 miles of fiber optic cabling, capacity to handle over 100,000 simultaneous wireless connections, over 3,100 IPTVs and micro cell towers for each major carrier within — you know, so that kickoff video that just can’t wait actually sees its way onto YouTube prior to the start of the second half.

Head on past the break to catch of a video of us talking smartphone platforms with Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells, as well as a lengthy (and insightful) interview with the Chief Information Officer of the Dallas Cowboys. Everything from the Cowboys’ rejection of FanVision to their hopes to blanket the stadium with gratis WiFi is covered, and we’re even given a hint that contactless payments and mobile food ordering systems could be just a season or so away.

Gallery: Super Bowl XLV Media Day 2011: on the field with the Packers and Steelers

Continue reading Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility

Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , ,
Jan 31

Hands-On With T-Mobile’s 7-Inch Tablet, Due Feb. 2

Posted in: Android, att, HP, streak, t-mobile, tablet, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, webos, xoom

The Dell Streak 7 will be available from T-Mobile starting Feb. 2.

For those of you with lengthy tech-toy wish lists and not-so-deep pockets, T-Mobile’s new tablet offering may provide the answer you’ve been waiting for.

Beginning Feb. 2, the Dell Streak 7 tablet will be available for $200, after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year contract, T-Mobile has announced. Off-contract, the tablet will retail for $450.

The new 7-inch Streak is a bump up in size from Dell’s last 5-inch offering, as well as a dip in price from the $300 charged for the 5-inch AT&T version. But unlike its teensy predecessor, the Streak 7 will be able to connect to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network — although as we’ve recently noted, the term “4G” seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

We got our hands on the Streak 7 today, and our first impressions are generally positive. (We’ll follow up with a full review later in the week.)

It’s chunkier in shape than the iPad, but with rounder edges than the Galaxy Tab. It rests comfortably in one hand or two, suggesting it will serve just as well for passive reading and video watching as it will for more-active browsing.

The interface will be familiar to anyone who’s used Android, and neither T-Mobile nor Dell have mucked up the basic operating system with too many widgets.

The screen is bright and somewhat responsive, although it’s a little “jumpy.” While the screen moves quickly, it’s not quite as smooth as the iPad at tracking your finger motions when you swipe or pinch the screen. It’s as if the makers decided to compensate for the touchscreen’s lack of sensitivity by making the screen move faster, and the result is that the screen sometimes feels as if it’s jumping ahead of your finger.

Web browsing and video playback were all quite smooth, and stereo speakers built into the case provide decent if somewhat anemic audio.

The Streak will come packing one of Nvidia’s much-hyped dual-core Tegra 2 processors, while touting the suite of recent tablet debut standards — SD card slot, Wi-Fi access, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, 5-megapixel back-facing camera for photos and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera with video-chat capability.

T-Mobile is targeting the lower-priced end of the tablet market with the $200 tag, beating out the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which recently dropped its sticker price to $250, after a $50 mail-in rebate. Though the Streak’s off-contract $450 isn’t exactly a bargain-basement price, its still 50 bucks cheaper than the lowest-priced iPad.

The Streak 7’s debut comes at the forefront of a 2011 tablet-debut onslaught. Rumors of a March release for HP’s new webOS-powered “Topaz” have been circulating recently, with the Android-fueled Motorola Xoom soon to follow. While the Streak may have a leg up on Motorola in terms of pricing — leaked screenshots suggest a hefty $800 price tag for the tablet on debut — it might be at a disadvantage running the antiquated Android version 2.2 (Froyo) against the version 3.0 Honeycomb-powered Xoom.

But despite version-fragmentation issues, a relatively low-cost option like the Streak 7 may be impetus enough for shoppers to jump on one of the first big tablet offerings of the year.

A textured back makes the Dell Streak 7 comfortable to hold.

Photos: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com

See Also:


No Comments | Tags: , ,
Jan 28

HP CEO: New webOS products shipping weeks after February 9 reveal, another big announcement March 14

Posted in: hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, palm, phone, tablet, Today's Chili, webos

It’s been a few months since Leo Apotheker took the top spot at HP following the Mark Hurd debacle, and it sounds like he’s got some big plans for the company — speaking to the BBC, he says he hopes “one day people will say ‘this is as cool as HP,’ not ‘this is as cool as Apple.'” How does he plan on doing that? By speeding up ship times, for starters — unlike the year-long wait for the HP Slate, Apotheker says that “when HP makes announcements, it will be getting ready to ship,” and that the new webOS products announced on February 9 will ship just a “few weeks” later. Speaking of the February 9 event, Apotheker said the new product line of tablets and mobile phones will have a new name that falls under the HP brand, which sounds like the Palm name is done for. (If we had to guess, it’ll be HP webOS, but that’s just a guess.)

On top of all that, the BBC calls February 9 just the “starting gun,” because Apotheker’s “secret answer” and “vision of what HP is capable of in the future” will come on March 14, where he’ll try to pull together HP’s vast product portfolio into a cohesive narrative. According to Apotheker, HP’s size is its “basis of strength,” and no other company sells everything from servers to phones the way HP does. Sounds extremely exciting — and if Apotheker can pull it off, there’s a chance we’ll remember Mark Hurd’s dalliance as the best thing that ever happened to HP.

[Thanks, soydeedo]

HP CEO: New webOS products shipping weeks after February 9 reveal, another big announcement March 14 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jan 26

HP Envy 14 Radiance displays sold out… forever

Posted in: HP, laptop, Laptops, Today's Chili
Yep, it’s a sad tale, but HP’s run out of those glorious 1600 x 900-resolution, 350nit Radiance displays for its Envy 14 once and for all. As you may recall, they did come back in stock for a short time, but HP tells us that limited supply has dried up and that there are no plans right now to restock the inventory. In fact, a HP representative was pretty explicit in saying that the high-resolution panel won’t be returning to the 14.5-inch Envy. We’re sorry we don’t have better news for you or a fresh pack of tissues to help dry your tears, but hey, we guess there’s always the larger 17-inch model with its full 1080p panel.

HP Envy 14 Radiance displays sold out… forever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jan 25

Report: HP’s WebOS Tablet Specs Leaked

Posted in: 4G, HP, motorola, palm, tablet, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, webos, xoom

The hardware specs of HP’s upcoming tablet have been leaked, and it sounds like a beast.

A document tipped to PreCentral details HP’s purported WebOS-powered tablet, codenamed Topaz. Like the photos we saw last week, the 9.7-inch Topaz is sleek, black and nearly button-free. A glossy outer finish and minimal accoutrements (a small HP logo rests on the back center of the tablet) make for a subtle slate.

But don’t let the simple look fool you — there appears to be powerful parts under the hood. According to the document, the Topaz sports a dual-core 1.2-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon-based processor, HP’s answer to all of the dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processors we’re going to see in Motorola’s forthcoming Xoom tablet, the T-Mobile G-Slate from LG, and Dell’s 7-inch Streak (all of which are Android OS-powered). It’s also got 512 MB of DDR2 RAM and an integrated Adreno 220 graphics processing unit to render 1080p high-definition video.

Of course, the Topaz will have all the standards expected of 2011 tablets to come: a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity. There doesn’t seem to be a MicroSD slot, but you may not need it if you decide to go for the 64-GB storage option. If you don’t need that much hard disk space, you can opt for the 16- or 32-GB options.

When HP bought WebOS creator Palm last April for $1.2 billion, the future of Palm’s WebOS — and what devices it would be featured on — was unclear. The OS was rumored to be running the long-discussed HP Slate, before eventually settling with Windows 7.

As we mentioned in our last piece on the Topaz leaks, the device is rumored to be shipping sometime in March. HP declined our requests for comment.

Photo: webOS interface/HP

See Also:


No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 25

HP files three more possible Palm tablet names: Touchslate, Touchcanvas, and Duopad

Posted in: HP, palm, Today's Chili, touchpad, webos

HP has been burning through US trademark filings over the past few months, presumably hoping to nail down as many possibilities for the new Palm webOS tablets as it can — a “shoot first, ask questions later” type of situation. To that end, it’s filed for three more under a very broad computing category that could definitely include the Topaz and Opal models we’ve been hearing so much about: “Touchslate,” “Touchcanvas,” and “Duopad.” We’re pretty lukewarm on the unwieldy “Touchcanvas,” but we guess both Duopad and Touchslate could work under the right circumstances. Then again, what’s wrong with Topaz and Opal, really?

HP files three more possible Palm tablet names: Touchslate, Touchcanvas, and Duopad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PocketNow, PreCentral  |  sourceUSPTO (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jan 24

webOS tablet interface leak suggests new gesture controls, same old good looks

Posted in: HP, leak, os, palm, rumor, slate, Software, speculation, tablet, Today's Chili, ui, webos

What, a full spec sheet for the Topaz not good enough for you? Fine, Pre Central has managed to dig up another little document from HP’s 2010 archives, this one delving into tablet-specific UI elements in webOS. The first notable thing is the inclusion of more sophisticated gesture and tap controls, with double-tap, tap-and-hold, and even two-finger tap-and-drag actions serving some unspecified functions in the tablet version of the software. Tabbed browsing also makes an appearance, alongside an auto-expanding email client and a page-turning element, all of which may or may not be in the final build shipping with the final devices. Until finality is reached, however, the source link is your best buddy.

[Thanks, Ryan]

webOS tablet interface leak suggests new gesture controls, same old good looks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePre Central  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jan 24

HP / Palm’s 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU

Posted in: cloud, flash, HP, palm, qualcomm, rumor, slate, speculation, tablet, Today's Chili, webos

Looks like those whispers we heard about HP’s Topaz having a 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU were true. The folks over at Pre Central just scored an internal document detailing presumed specifications of HP’s forthcoming 9.7-inch tablet, and it looks like the aforesaid CPU will be joined by an integrated Adreno 220 GPU, 512MB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi. We’re told to expect an oleophobic Gorilla Glass screen with a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, options for 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, optional WWAN, an accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, microphone and a battery that’ll last for around eight hours in ideal circumstances. Naturally, webOS will be onboard, and we’re hearing that a WiFi-only model will indeed hit the market at some point. As for the connected versions? HSPA, LTE and CDMA variants are rumored, with the former two likely to be SIM-locked while all three carry A-GPS.

It should be noted that these documents were apparently fresh as of last fall, so everything is clearly subject to change. That said, we’re digging the reports that HP will be doing everything it can to fully support Flash on this here slate, and it may also consider a partnership with Blio for the digital bookworms in attendance. Naturally, cloud services is shaping up to be a huge deal, and it’ll definitely support inductive charging via the Touchstone v2. These docs also affirm what we’d heard about integrated Beats Audio technology and Tap to Share, with the second-gen Touchstone to also handle wireless picture sharing, cordless audio streaming and tether-free video beaming (just to name a few). Hit the source link the full skinny, and feel free to pressure HP to move February 9th a little closer to today.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HP / Palm’s 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePre Central  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 21

Rob Riggle Talks Printers, Improv

Posted in: HP, printer, Today's Chili
daily-show-rob-riggle14.jpg

Rob Riggle. Actor. Comedian. SNL featured player. Daily Show correspondent. Part-time printer enthusiast. The Step Brothers actor has had his face plastered all over the Internet today for that last reason. At 3PM EST, the comedian will be taking part in a live two hour improv marathon broadcast across the Internet via YouTube. All courtesy of the folks at HP.

Riggle fielded a quick call from Gearlog, as he prepped the space. “It’s show day!” he begin, with a little bit of sing-songy faux fluster. “We’re in a studio, so we can film and shoot out of the
YouTube.”
Riggle is leading a team of Upright Citizen Brigade alum for the event. It’s a longform improv show with a techy hook–Riggle and crew are getting all of their suggestions from a shiny new wireless printer from HP. “It’s really cool. Actually, you probably know more about it
than me, but the way I understand it is it that it has its own e-mail address,
so you can send it documents from anywhere.”

No Comments
Jan 21

Emblaze First Else UX engineer embraced by HP / Palm, magic ensues

Posted in: HP, palm, Today's Chili, ui, video, webos

Remember that day when Emblaze wowed the world with its First Else “death of main menu” smartphone? What a shame, eh? While it’s unlikely that said Linux handset will ever be resurrected, there’s a small chance that bits of its legacy will be passed onto other products. For instance, a recent LinkedIn newsletter led us to Itai Vonshak, who was one of the main engineers behind the architecture that powered the First Else’s brilliant, mesmerizing UI. Now, according to his profile, our man has recently moved into HP / Palm’s comfy little house to do UX strategy. Whether this means webOS will get a slice of that Minority Report action, we don’t know; but it’ll be interesting to see what Vonshak will surprise us with at the HP / Palm event next month. For now, there’s a hands-on video of the First Else after the break for old time’s sake.

Continue reading Emblaze First Else UX engineer embraced by HP / Palm, magic ensues

Emblaze First Else UX engineer embraced by HP / Palm, magic ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLinkedIn  | Email this | Comments

No Comments