Hasta La Gadget!

After launching the Squeezebox Controller app on Android last month, what could Logitech do next other than release a version for your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. The features and interface appear to be identical, letting users control any or all Squeezeboxes on the WiFi network complete with metadata and album art. iOS equipped owners of the ‘boxes can get their AirPlay-free distributed audio lifestyle going by clicking the link below to download the free app (and see how it compares to the existing $9.99 third party iPeng remote app) from iTunes.

Logitech’s Squeezebox Controller app makes the transition from Android to iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM’s PlayBook is currently available in a Wi-Fi only version. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Research in Motion previously said its PlayBook tablet would be available on Verizon, but Verizon isn’t ready to hop on board just yet.

Verizon Wireless has yet to decide whether it will offer the BlackBerry PlayBook to its customers, according to a company spokesperson.

“We are still evaluating the Blackberry Playbook and have not made a determination as to whether or not we’re going to distribute it,” Verizon Wireless spokesperson Brenda Raney told CNET in a statement.

Verizon’s indecision conflicts with previous statements made by RIM. In an interview two weeks before the PlayBook’s debut, RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis confirmed to Wired.com that a Verizon 4G LTE version of the PlayBook would be released over the summer, along with AT&T and Sprint versions of the tablet. The BlackBerry PlayBook launched on Tuesday in its Wi-Fi only models.

In separate statements issued to Wired.com, both AT&T and Sprint confirmed that 4G versions of the PlayBook would be released on each carrier’s respective network this summer.

RIM did not immediately return a request for comment.

The PlayBook has had its share of stumbles in the weeks leading up to its debut. Early reviews from tech journalists were lukewarm at best (including our own), citing a lack of crucial features like native e-mail, calendar and contact apps and stability issues with Adobe Flash-based content.

Problems also arose between RIM and AT&T earlier this week as the BlackBerry Bridge app — which lets users connect their PlayBook to an existing BlackBerry smartphone, in order to check email and access the phone’s data connection — was unavailable for download through BlackBerry App World for users who have AT&T-carried BlackBerry phones. AT&T stated it had just received the app, and had to test it before approving it for AT&T customers on App World.

Day one PlayBook sales estimates, however, suggest the tablet’s outlook may not as grim as analysts expected. As many as 50,000 PlayBooks were sold on Tuesday, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky. The number includes pre-ordered devices, which accounted for about half of the first day sales. Abramsky forecasts 500,000 PlayBooks shipped by the end of May.

Sprint service the only thing standing between you and a Motorola Xoom? Good news — a tipster passed along an internal calendar showing an April 25th employee training date for the Honeycomb tablet, and while we’re still taking it with a grain of salt, it seems like the real deal. If past products are any indication, it should hit Sprint stores a fortnight later, in early May, lining up nicely with those Xoom cases that were spotted a week back. The Nexus S 4G also looks to be slotted for employee training the same day, foreshadowing busy times ahead for the Now Network cashiers.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Motorola Xoom, Nexus S 4G hitting Sprint in early May? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Humans, they just love mixing the old with the new. To wit, the iCade gaming cabinet for the iPad, an April Fools’ joke that was just a fun idea this time last year, has gone and turned very real, replete with FCC certification and now a pre-order page. The Bluetooth-communicating iPad enclosure seems to have originally been on sale for immediate delivery, but ThinkGeek has burned through its first shipment of units faster than you can say “Atari’s Greatest Hits.” The second batch of $100 iCades is expected by May 20th at the very latest, although orders are being taken only from the US for now. The rest of the world needn’t despair, however — we hear building one of your own is a pleasurable and rewarding experience.

iCade arcade cabinet for iPad starts selling at $100, already on backorder originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We recently deemed the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer the “best Honeycomb tablet yet.” Admittedly that was before we got our hands on the T-Mobile G-Slate, but it’s still an awfully nice hunk of glass, and now we know just how much you’re going to have to pay to get one — and exactly when you can plunk down that credit card. The 10.1-inch Transformer with its 1280 x 800 IPS panel and 16GB of storage will cost you $399, while the 32GB version will set you back $499. That docking station, which kinda sorta turns it into a laptop? That costs $150. Units are expected to hit retail on Tuesday, April 26th, meaning you have just five days to scrounge together four or five Benjamins — plus tax, of course.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer hits US on April 26th for $399 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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