Logitech’s clip-on tablet speaker latches onto your slate for dear life, doubles as a stand

We can swear we feel hints of fall creeping in already, but Logitech just announced a product we would have loved to see at the start of beach season: a speaker bar that clips onto the back of any tablet, effectively turning it into the boombox it wasn’t built to be. We know, we know, that barrel of a speaker looks a tad silly next to the likes of the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, but we’re digging how it doubles as a stand, propping up the slate if, perchance, you’re also down for watching a movie. In our brief hands-on, the speaker felt lighter than it looks in those photos down there, and delivered decently loud sound, too. Like we said, we can see this making for a festive old time at the beach or a picnic, though when we asked a Logitech rep about durability he said we might want to shield the speaker from sand. Because this is a wired product (it charges via USB and lasts up to eight hours on a charge), it commands less than the wireless speaker for iPad that Logitech’s already shilling. Specifically, we’re told it’ll cost $49.99, though as of this writing it hasn’t popped up in the company’s online store, which means those of you unashamed of your Justin Bieber collection will have to just sit tight.

Logitech’s clip-on tablet speaker latches onto your slate for dear life, doubles as a stand originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Catalogs iPad app digitizes catalogs, no more coasters

We all know what catalogs are good for: starting fires in the fireplace, light reading in waiting rooms and makeshift placemats. Oddly, Google has decided to take these perfectly useful glossy dead trees away from us with the introduction of Google Catalogs, a free iPad app. Like most shopping apps, users can zoom in, learn more and purchase products through a company’s website, but this one adds a slick little twist: collages. Put together a particularly sweet L.L. Bean ensemble and want to share it with Mom? No glue stick or scissors required. Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Google Catalogs iPad app digitizes catalogs, no more coasters

Google Catalogs iPad app digitizes catalogs, no more coasters originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell’s Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 billion revenue

Shares of Dell were down nearly eight percent in after-hours trading after the Texas-based PC maker posted lower-than-expected second-quarter results. Still, the company’s revenue was up one percent over last year, totaling $15.66 billion, compared to $15.5 billion in Q2 2010. Net income jumped 63 percent, from $545 million to $890 million, over the year-ago quarter. Corporate and government orders were responsible for the jump in income, according to an AP report, but new sales predictions hint that orders may not be coming in as often as anticipated. Dell expects modest growth of one to five percent for the full year — citing “a more uncertain demand environment” — compared to previous estimates of five to nine percent growth. Jump past the break for the full rundown from Dell.

Continue reading Dell’s Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 billion revenue

Dell’s Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 billion revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Most Interesting Tablet You’ve Never Heard Of

After much hype, TabCo finally took the lid off new TabCo Grid10 tablet. It’s got a whole new OS and a smart phone buddy to play with. More »

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: tablets

Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’re leaning back with our tablets — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!


There are certain back to school purchases we could never talk you out of. A laptop? Vital. A smartphone? Highly recommended. A printer? Necessary — if you’re the kind of person who finishes papers minutes with minutes to spare, leaving no time to swing by the computer lab on the way to class. But a tablet? We’ll be honest: we can’t think of a good reason why you need one, but we can more than sympathize if you’re dead-set. We’ve picked a few noteworthy choices for each budget, though if you’re really lucky you’ll win one of 15 Samsung Galaxy Tabs and won’t have to pay a dime. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details. So wipe off the glasses, grab your clicker, and get ready to jump past the break for this year’s tablet picks for back to school.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: tablets

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will RIM’s PlayBook get WiMAX? The Now Network says no (update: RIM focusing on LTE)


Whoa there, RIM — not so fast. Despite an earlier commitment from Sprint, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Now Network has cancelled its plans to bring WiMAX to the BlackBerry PlayBook, leaving Research in Motion to continue selling WiFi-only models of the half-baked tablet. Sprint representatives cited poor adoption rates among business customers as one reason for the move to cancel PlayBook sales, along with an already crowded tablet market, also adding that the decision will have “no impact” on the carrier’s relationship with RIM. We can’t say that a WiMAX-capable PlayBook would have topped our back to school wish list, but this latest move is somewhat shocking nonetheless.

Update: RIM wrote in to share the following statement:

RIM has decided to prioritize and focus its 4G development resources on LTE. We remain excited and committed to delivering innovative and powerful 4G tablets to the US market together with our carrier partners. Testing of BlackBerry 4G PlayBook models is already underway and we plan to enter labs for network certifications in the US and other international markets this fall.

Will RIM’s PlayBook get WiMAX? The Now Network says no (update: RIM focusing on LTE) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Buys Beats: All Your Bass Are Belong To Them

HTC just shouted to the world that it has made a massive investment in Beats By Dre to the tune of $300M. Here’s what it means for everyone involved—especially you. More »

Dell’s Latitude XT3 goes up for pre-order, swivels your way September 22nd

Are you a fancy suit, known to occasionally dabble in the fine art of scribbling? Have a seat bud, because Dell’s gone and put up a pre-order page for the touchscreen convertible that you’ve been waiting for: the Latitude XT3. When we last espied the drop-top in February, we came away mighty impressed with its spiffy 13.3-inch dual-digitizer display, which recognized the attached stylus in addition to three of our meaty digits. We also liked the inclusion of the Core i3 — upgradeable to an i5 or i7 — which packs a punch, unlike the miserly Core 2 Duo’s found in its predecessors. The magnesium-reinforced piece of kit starts at $1,789, unless you have it your way and toss in the optional $49 backlit keyboard or spring for the $100 outdoor-viewing display. We’ll take ours with both, and with a ship date of September 22nd, you’ve got plenty of time to get a customizin’ at the source below.

Dell’s Latitude XT3 goes up for pre-order, swivels your way September 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos’ Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2 tablets launch in Hong Kong, taste like Gingerbread

It looks like Archos’ summer of the sequels is just heating up. Less than a week ago, we spied the outfit’s 8-incher at the FCC, and now our brethren at Engadget Chinese are offering up a hands-on with two more second-gen Arnovas: the Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2. These made-over slates best their predecessors with Gingerbread and capacitive touchscreens. The original 7-inch tablet ran Froyo while its big brother came with Eclair; both sported resistive displays. The pair will also see a spec bump in the processor department, with the inclusion of a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 — likely the same processor found in their 8-inch sibling. While we do have Hong Kong pricing — HK$1,680 (or $215 US) and HK$1,980 (about $250 US) — we’ve yet to land a release date. So, for now, we’ll just stick with “coming soon to a retailer near you?” If the wait is too much to bear, hop on past the break for some hands-on love from our Chinese counterparts.

Archos’ Arnova 7 G2 and 10 G2 tablets launch in Hong Kong, taste like Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

There’s nothing worse than losing the charge on your iPhone at the company picnic. But fear not, you won’t be stranded Twitter-less next to the potato salad if UCLA’s new energy recycling LCD technology ever makes it to market. According to its inventors, the traditional LCD polarization process loses as much as 75 percent of light energy — something that eats around 80 to 90 percent of the device’s power. By using polarizing organic photovoltaic cells, however, the LCD-packing gizmo can recycle its own lost backlight energy, keeping itself charged for longer. What’s really cool is these cells can recycle indoor or outdoor light as well, so you will essentially never lose a charge — or have to speak to another human IRL again. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true

Photovoltaic polarizers could make self-charging smartphone dreams come true originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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