Hasta La Gadget!

The number of Android devices officially compatible with the Netflix streaming app has more than doubled in v2.3, growing from 9 to 24. Last night the description was updated with a new list of devices but the actual updated APK only started pushing this afternoon, bringing Netflix not only to the Lenovo tablet announced last night but also to the Droid 3, HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Atrix, several Galaxy S phones including the Epic 4G and Fascinate and more. Fragmentation is clearly still an issue for DRM’d apps like this and Hulu Plus, but at least now there’s a growing number of recent superphones supported instead of sitting on the sidelines. We’ve got the updated list of devices after the break, hit the source link to download the app from the Android Market.

Update: As multiple commenters have noted, sideloading the Netflix APK will still work for devices that haven’t yet made the list. We were able to confirm the app works fine on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Motorola Xoom, however we’re hearing it’s not up and running on the Tegra 2-based Transformer just yet. Itching for some Watch Instantly on your Honeycomb tablet? Check XDA-Developers for a download link.

Update 2: Alex wrote in to let us know that things are now operational on the Transformer, too. Check out xda-developers for the details.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Netflix app on Android updated to work on 24 models including Galaxy S, Droid 3 (update: tablets too!)

Netflix app on Android updated to work on 24 models including Galaxy S, Droid 3 (update: tablets too!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll give Nicholas Negroponte one thing, he’s nothing if not ambitious. The OLPC founder always has some pie-in-the-sky vision for the XO line of child-centric computers, including dual-screens and hand-cranks. Now that we’ve skipped right past the XO-2 for the ARM-powered, and still MIA, XO-3 it’s time for a whole new round of concepts. The latest is a series of accessory cases for the potentially Android-sporting tablets that boast satellite internet capabilities or solar panels for charging its battery. The former MIT Media Lab head has even suggested that a more mundane cover with a keyboard could be on tap. Of course, it would probably help if the foundation could get the machines out the door first. We haven’t heard much about the XO-3 since the last round of delays pushed its release back to February… of 2011. But you know what they say, better late, and all that jazz.

OLPC XO-3 cases may sport solar panels, satellite internet, grant three wishes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two Lenovo tablets in the same evening? Nah, it’s not the midsummer sun melting your cerebrum, but the same result just might happen after you ingest this one. True to rumors, the ThinkPad Tablet (yeah, that’s seriously the whole name) will indeed be shipping with a full-size USB port and an optional dedicated folio / case, and oddly enough, it’s that very peripheral that could set this unit apart from the masses. While it’s obviously no big chore to find a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard folio for the iPad, you probably won’t find a perfectly matching case with a tried-and-true Lenovo keyboard and a newfangled optical trackpad unless you’re ponying up for this guy. Internally, we’re looking at the same 1GHz Tegra 2 silicon as found in the more consumery IdeaPad K1, a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) IPS display, a battery good for up to 8.7 hours of use, 1GB of RAM, 16/32/64GB of storage, 3-in-1 card reader, A-GPS, an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, front (2MP) / rear (5MP) cameras, a mini HDMI port (1080p capable!) and Lenovo’s own app launcher / app market.

In our discussions with Lenovo, it was made fairly clear that this guy was being aimed more at companies and less at consumers, but there’s absolutely nothing stopping the latter from enjoying a solid Honeycomb experience here. In fact, the ability to plug in a common mouse or trackpad (or combo device, for that matter) makes it far more useful than many of the ultraslim slates it’ll inevitably go up against. Also unique to the Tablet is a built-in active stylus, which is tailor-made to jot down highly important information cartoons in the company’s homegrown note-taking program.

The full-size USB port also puts it squarely in Eee Transformer territory, with the Keyboard Folio shown above making perfect use of it. In practice, the accessory worked beautifully, and while the $99 price tag may seem a bit steep, it’s not exactly cheap to go out and get a third-party case, keyboard and mouse. The company’s demanding $499 (and up) for it’s Android 3.1-based biz slate, with initial shipments starting today. Peek the hands-on video just after the break!

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and Keyboard Folio case hands-on (video)

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and Keyboard Folio case hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You read that correctly — Netflix streaming is about to get really real on impending Honeycomb tablets. One of the nuggets that makes Lenovo’s newly unveiled IdeaPad K1 so special is the internal DRM module that allows it to play nice with a fresh build of the Netflix app. As we saw back at MWC with the LG Revolution, future Android 3.x tablets (with an unspecified hardware inclusion) will not only support native Watch Instantly streaming over mini-HDMI / HDMI, but it’ll also enable something totally new: local storage. The fresh build of the app — which will remain exclusive to Lenovo for “a short while” — will have a heretofore unseen option that’ll let subscribers store flicks locally for offline viewing. We’re told by Lenovo that files can be stored on the internal flash as well as on microSD cards, and while we’ve yet to get a hands-on look at the app, we’ll be doing everything we can to change that.

Just to answer the obvious question: no, your existing Honeycomb tablet won’t be able to support this goodness through a firmware update. You’ll actually need a slate with the requisite hardware within to take advantage, and it’s hard to say at this point who will follow Lenovo down the path. We’re hoping that the added functionality won’t lead to a boost in Netflix’s monthly rate, but given the history of the app, we can’t say we’re too terrified about that possibility. So, how fast will the APK be ripped from the fabric of a K1 and thrown out onto the web? Somewhere between “quickly” and “you’ve got to be kidding me,” we’re surmising.

Netflix to stream natively from HDMI-equipped tablets, enable local storage with hardware DRM module originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ready for yet another S1 / S2 teaser video that tells you more about the marketing team’s potential extra-curricular indulgences and absolutely nothing new about the tablets? Well, drop those tabs and strap in for some doll-voiced la la la’s as Sony leads us even deeper into the late-night realm of desktop toys and the tablets they love. Shots of the stylish slates displaying video and gaming functionality are all but hidden in a “filled with fun” maze of booby-trap triggered contraptions. It’s a romp through the sort of endearing Tim Burton-esque, high-art nightmare Sony’s dabbled in for past Playstation campaigns — so we’re not too surprised. Hit the break to hitch a ride on this video wonderland.

Continue reading Sony’s latest tablet teaser plunges deeper into the rabbit hole, still tells us nothing

Sony’s latest tablet teaser plunges deeper into the rabbit hole, still tells us nothing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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