HP's latest multimedia system, the Pavilion dm4, is a powerful, slick-looking package–but some competitors in the same price range offer more features for less.
As promised, Nokia and Intel have revealed the pre-alpha version of MeeGo for handsets today, supporting the Intel-powered Aava reference phone and the Nokia N900. What’s most interesting at this early stage is the UI, which appears to have taken a big Nokia-influenced step away from the Intel-designed MeeGo netbook and tablet UI — and we’re definitely detecting some hints of Android and webOS here and there. Seriously, just check out that task switching interface. Of course, MeeGo is open-source, so we’re sure Nokia has some deeper UI customizations in store — like homescreen widgets, which are notably missing here.
On a deeper level, this build of MeeGo includes the base MeeGo APIs, including Qt and the MeeGo touch frameworks, the Firefox-based browser, a photo viewer, and some basic UI elements like the status bar, app launcher, and virtual keyboard. There are pre-built images for the Atom-based Aava handsets available now, but N900 owners will have to do a little building until someone makes an image available. Be warned, though: there’s a long enough list of known bugs, and while that’s totally fine for pre-alpha code, it might not be too fine for your device. That’s not going to stop us from installing this thing, but you be careful, alright? And let us know how it goes. Video of the UI after the break.
P.S. Given that the N8 is destined to be the last Symbian N Series device, we can’t help but feel it’s being overshadowed by MeeGo before it’s even out. Can we pre-pour one out? Is that a thing? It is now.
Continue reading MeeGo for handsets makes its first appearance
MeeGo for handsets makes its first appearance originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Stuck using a lower-end version of Windows 7 and considering an upgrade? Then you might want to act fast — Microsoft has just issued a reminder that its Windows Anytime Upgrade offer is ending this Saturday, July 3rd. That lets anyone using Windows 7 Starter edition upgrade to Home Premium for just $49.99 (normally $79.99), or from Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional for $79.99 (normally $89.99). Ready to make the jump? Hit up the link below for all the details.
Windows Anytime Upgrade offer ends this Saturday originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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30
Jun
iPhone 4’s antenna problem looks worse than it is, but it’s still bad
Author: // Category: Uncategorized
The iPhone 4’s antenna issues have sparked off a firestorm of debate as to the root cause — Apple says holding the phone differently or buying a case are the best answers, while other are going down a more voodoo path — but our friends at AnandTech have done some more scientific testing of the problem and come up with a few interesting results. Turns out the iPhone 4 actually performs slightly better inside a case than a phone like the Nexus One, which has had similar issues crop up, but it’s slightly worse when held in the hand, reporting an average signal drop of 20dB. Here’s where it gets a little wacky, though: the signal meter in iOS 4 is logarithmic, so that 20dB drop can either leave you looking steady at five bars or drop you all the way to zero, depending on what the actual signal level in the area is like. Take a look at the chart above and you’ll get it: the range of values between one bar and four spans just 23dB, while the range for five bars is 40dB. That means holding the phone in an area with a strong five-bar signal will have no apparent effect — you can lose 20dB at full signal and still see five bars — but holding the phone in an area with weaker coverage will easily drop the meter to one bar, since the 20dB signal drop covers almost the entirety of the remaining 23dB scale. Oops.
Of course, that’s just the on-screen display, which Apple can and likely will tweak in a future iOS update. The real question is whether the reported signal has anything to do with performance, and Anandtech agrees with our general experience, saying that the iPhone 4’s improved signal to noise ratio means it actually does a better job of hanging onto calls and using data when there’s low signal than the iPhone 3GS. In their words, “this iPhone gets the best cellular reception yet, even though measured signal is lower than the 3GS.” However, there’s no getting around the fact that we’ve definitely dropped a couple calls with the iPhone 4 by holding it the wrong way, and Anandtech says the only real solution to the antenna issue will be for Apple to either subsidize free bumpers or add an insulative coating to the antenna band. We’ll see what happens — we’ve got a feeling an iOS update is on the way, but we’d definitely love to see Apple pursue a more aggressive solution to this problem.
iPhone 4’s antenna problem looks worse than it is, but it’s still bad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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30
Jun
Magellan’s waterproof Toughcase wraps GPS module, extended battery around your iPhone
Author: // Category: Uncategorized
There are iPhone cases, and then there’s Magellan’s waterproof Toughcase. Priced at $199.99, it’s actually just as expensive as a new iPhone 4 on contract, and double the price of an iPhone 3GS (which it actually houses). So, what does two Benjamins get you? Most would argue “not nearly enough,” but argonauts may beg to differ. The case meets IPX-7 waterproof standards, enabling it to be submerged at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, and there’s also an integrated 1,840mAh battery that’s able to “double the life” of your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or second / third-generation iPod touch. Moreover, there’s a built-in high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS chipset for superior GPS reception, and nothing here prevents consumers from accessing the touchscreen. ‘Course, the sex appeal of your iDevice goes right out of the window once you strap this monster on, and there’s no official support for Apple’s newest iPhone, but it’s hard to knock the approach here.
Magellan’s waterproof Toughcase wraps GPS module, extended battery around your iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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30
Jun
Android 3.0 Gingerbread getting revamped UI, Froyo living on for lower-end phones?
Author: // Category: Uncategorized
Last we’d heard, the next major release of Android — codename Gingerbread — was scheduled for a fourth-quarter launch, but the always-entertaining Eldar Murtazin has apparently just spilled a few details on what he knows of the release on a Russian podcast. Most notably, the dude says that we can expect an entirely revamped UI — the first that the platform will have undergone since its introduction — and will take cues from the fancy 3D Gallery app launched with Eclair. There’s said to be a new 1280 x 760 resolution available for devices larger than 4 inches, which would dovetail nicely with Verizon’s desire to bring a bunch of Android tablets to market. Like Windows Phone 7, Murtazin claims that Google will be laying down the law with some hardcore hardware specs to run 3.0, demanding a minimum of a 3.5-inch display, a 1GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM — so what about cheaper devices? Well, those will apparently continue to run Android 2.1 or 2.2, which sounds like yet another serious recipe for platform fragmentation from the outset. We’ll apparently see the first devices launch in time for the holidays following an October introduction, which lines up with what we’ve heard so far. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.
[Thanks, John]
Android 3.0 Gingerbread getting revamped UI, Froyo living on for lower-end phones? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Gizmodo, Unwired View | Digestiv | Email this | Comments
30
Jun
Latest EVO 4G update is back online, presumably won’t brick your phone this time
Author: // Category: Uncategorized
That didn’t take too long, did it? That pulled EVO 4G update promising a handful of fixes for WiFi, Exchange, and battery life (no Froyo yet, sorry) is back online according to our contacts at Sprint — and indeed, we’re getting prompted on our own unit, so that’s that. Go forth, readers; get your update on, now with less brick than ever before.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Latest EVO 4G update is back online, presumably won’t brick your phone this time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You’d be hard pressed to find a TV without some sort of extra box attached to it these days — and with each box comes another remote. The sad part is it doesn’t have to be this way, nope, the necessary interaction between devices really isn’t that complicated. The problem is the devices just aren’t designed to work together, but that isn’t because the industry hasn’t tried. All the political reasons aside the technology to let your cable box carry on a two way conversation with your TV and other equipment does exist. So we’re going to explain what’s out there. If you’ve ever wondered how you can gain more control over your gear using everything from an IR blaster to sending TCP commands via IP, then read on.
Just getting into HD? Check out these other HD 101 features:
HD 101: Overscan and why all TVs do it
What is ATSC, PSIP, QAM, and 8-VSB?
How to use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with your PS3
Why there are black bars on HDTVs
Continue reading HD 101: IR blasters, HDMI-CEC, RS-232 and IP control
HD 101: IR blasters, HDMI-CEC, RS-232 and IP control originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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30
Jun
‘Dippin’ In My Tesla’ is the best rap song ever about a Tesla
Author: // Category: Uncategorized
Don’t bother reading this text, just listen to the intensely awful hip-hop ode to an electric car. Elon Musk, where you at!?
Continue reading ‘Dippin’ In My Tesla’ is the best rap song ever about a Tesla
‘Dippin’ In My Tesla’ is the best rap song ever about a Tesla originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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From the front it looks like any other iPhone 4, but flip it around and a glint might catch your eye — that’s the doing of Russian technology tailor Gresso, who’s embedded Swarovski crystals and an 18-karat golden Apple logo in a sheet of African Blackwood attached to the device. As usual, one wonders why anyone would bother, but honestly we can’t complain — the design is worlds more tasteful than the solid gold and diamond-encrusted contraptions we’re used to seeing. Expect the dainty dillantante to arrive in December at a surprisingly reasonable $3,500, or $3,000 for the male-targeted version at right. Of course, if you’ve got that kind of money to spend, you want one now, right? Good news: the iPhone 3GS gets the same luxurious treatment — and price — in July.
[Thanks, Bob]
Gresso gussies up iPhone 4 with rare wooden veneer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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