Hasta La Gadget!

Remember how excited we all were when we found out that Android 2.3.4 would bring video chat to Google Talk on the Nexus S? Only to have our hopes and dreams smashed when we discover that it didn’t work over 3G on T-Mobile. Well, it seems the carrier has quietly flipped a switch, and now all you Nexus owners can GChat face-to-face over HSPA+. Surely this an historic day, one that will go down in the annals of mobile history — or, you know, at least one that deserves an exasperated “finally!” Check out the video proof after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Google Talk video chat finally available over T-Mobile 3G and 4G (video)

Google Talk video chat finally available over T-Mobile 3G and 4G (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The introduction of Google Wallet felt a little too good to be true, didn’t it? It’s magical, like the tech equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In reality, the tech behind mobile payments has been around since 2003 on a much smaller scale using near-field communications, more commonly known as NFC. The idea behind Wallet (amongst other services, like ISIS) is contactless pay — using your phone as a credit card — and is just one of the many ways NFC can be useful in our everyday lives. In fact, we’re only scraping the surface of what’s theoretically possible.

Google is definitely not the first company to dabble in NFC, but it appears to be poised and ready to push the tech’s adoption forward at a rapid pace with the advent of Wallet and Offers. Until now the coals have been hot; but if a fire’s going to start, someone monolithic has to throw a few newspapers in as kindling — and Google volunteered. But what good is NFC if it’s just an acronym that causes our eyes to glaze over? Is El Goog the only instigator? After the break we’ll focus on what NFC is capable of, and why we want it on our phones as soon as yesterday.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?

Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Engadget Investigates, we explore major issues, working with tech manufacturers and service providers to improve your experience with the gadgets we’ve all come to depend on. If you’d like us to look into an issue, please send us a tip, including “Investigate” in the subject line.

Samsung’s highly-anticipated Nexus S 4G joined the WiMAX family this month, pairing Google’s popular Nexus handset with Sprint’s 4G network. But with the honeymoon over, customers have noticed that the Gingerbread device isn’t living up to Sprint’s former flagship mates, such as the Epic 4G, with last year’s model besting the new guy on both speed and network reception tests. Customers also noticed issues with battery life, though so far we’ve found it to be consistent with other WiMAX smartphones. We took both out for a stroll around New York City, and on a quick weekend getaway to Miami Beach, and we’re sorry to report that we’ve confirmed your fears about performance. Sprint and Google have confirmed that they’re looking into the performance issues, and we hope they can patch things up with some over-the-air update therapy, but in the meantime, jump past the break to see what we found.

Continue reading Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues

Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Live from the Google Wallet press event!

Live from the Google Wallet press event! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LifeFitness may have taken one too many creative liberties with its Cyberbike Wii accessory, but it did a laudable job of redeeming itself at Google I/O this week. The outfit brought a USB-equipped exercise bike to the show floor, where an Open Accessory-enabled Nexus S promptly stole the show. We were shown a demo of the CardioQuest app interfacing with the cycle over the aforementioned protocol; the bike itself had a heretofore unreleased firmware update installed that allowed it to interact with the phone, and we’re told that said update will be available free of charge to existing customers in the coming weeks.

As was announced yesterday during the opening keynote, the Android Open Accessory API is currently only capable of handling communications over USB, but that didn’t stop a clever game from keeping a booth representative mighty busy. The gist is pretty simple — pedal harder to move the Android up, and relax your stride to see him float down. The goal is to avoid the surrounding walls, while also keeping your mind from focusing on the fact that you’re actually burning calories. Mum’s the word on whether or not this particular app will ever make it into the Android Market, but there’s a video of the chaos waiting just after the break, regardless.

Continue reading LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video)

LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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