New Gadgets
- Google Currents app updated with international support, offline reading
Folks in the US have been able to use the Google Currents app to read various websites (including this one) with more of a magazine-style layout since late last year, and now those outside the country can finally get in on the act as well. Google has today rolled out version 1.1 of the app for Android and iOS, which makes the service available worldwide with support for 44 languages, and adds a number of other improvements including offline reading, instant online sync, translation for 38 languages and a promised 7X performance boost. As before, the app is completely free, and adapts the layout to suit both phones and tablets. Hit the links below to download it for the platform of your choice.
Google Currents app updated with international support, offline reading originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Google Mobile Blog, Google Play, iTunes | Email this | Comments - Huawei Ascend G 300 coming to Vodafone UK on April 13th
We’ve laid our eyes (and hands) on the Ascend G 300 a pair of times, first while it was sneaking past the FCC, then shortly after that when we took it for a quick spin at MWC in Barcelona. Now, Huawei’s Gingerbread handset is prepping to land in the UK on Friday the 13th, being available exclusively at Vodafone. Just as we predicted, the device won’t be much of a burden on anyone’s wallet, with the carrier pricing it at £100 (around $160) on PAYG (£10 top-up minimum) or gratis on £15.50, two-year plans. Unfortunately, the G 300 won’t have Ice Cream Sandwich on board at launch, but Vodafone says the 4.0 update will be coming later this summer. Good enough for you? The source link below lets you register to be one of the first to know when this 4-inch Ascend is up for grabs.Continue reading Huawei Ascend G 300 coming to Vodafone UK on April 13th
Huawei Ascend G 300 coming to Vodafone UK on April 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Vodafone | Email this | Comments - MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers
For football fans the NFL Red Zone and ESPN Goal Line Channels have streamlined game day viewing by focusing on switching between scoring opportunities from simultaneously airing games and now Major League Baseball has its own version (there’s already a web edition dubbed Full Count). The MLB Network Strike Zone went live Tuesday night on Bright House Networks, DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable, airing live look-ins on league games and highlights without any commercial breaks. Although there are baseball games throughout the week, Strike Zone will only broadcast on Tuesday and Friday nights during the regular season. We’re not entirely convinced this will work as well as baseball or cause people to sign up for the sports tiers it seems to mostly be placed on the same way its football counterparts have, but it might be just the thing for baseball fans that can’t stand following just one game at a time. Check the press release after the break for channel lineup details, and let us know if you’ve had a chance to check it out yet.Continue reading MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers
MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
MLB | Email this | Comments - Android devs: if you can’t use your app with your eyes closed, open them and read this
Google’s doing a lot to bolster its Android developers guide at the moment, with fresh design tips we covered yesterday and then a new section on accessibility arriving shortly after. The latter provides a bunch of suggestions on things like minimum button size (48dp or around 9mm), and also explains how to make use of free components like TalkBack, which gives a spoken description of an app’s UI, and Eyes-Free Keyboard, which many users find easier than regular touch-to-click. These stock services work best with apps that have been designed with them in mind, so if we were presumptuous enough to command all devs to look at the source link, then we probably would. (Do it. Do it.)
Android devs: if you can’t use your app with your eyes closed, open them and read this originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Insert Coin: Berlin Boombox recyclable cardboard stereo (video)In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.
It’s been years since we’ve spotted a proper handle-sporting boombox on this side of the equator (in public, at least), but we’re decidedly impressed with this unique Kickstarter creation, dubbed the Berlin Boombox. Constructed nearly entirely of cardboard, save for some metal- and plastic-based essentials, the speaker rig ships disassembled in a flat cardboard box. Getting the Boombox up and running shouldn’t require much effort, however — the designer states that you won’t need any tools during the quick assembly process. After you’re done, you can connect the setup to any source with a 3.5mm headphone jack, then control volume with the large aluminum power/volume knob. The Berlin Boombox also ships with four AA batteries, though it’s not clear how many hours of music you’ll be able to pipe through the speakers with that initial set of cells. We also can’t speak to sound quality, though there is a free custom sound profile available for iOS devices — audio “will be remastered in real-time to use the full potential of the Berlin Boombox.”You can pre-order your own with a $50 pledge, saving you 9 bucks off the estimated retail price. There’s also a “limited edition” two-tone box, available with a $100 pledge, while $250 will net you a custom-designed model, which can also be paired with a dinner and tour of Berlin with the inventor if you’re willing to fork over $500 or more. There’s just shy of two weeks left during the funding period — you’ll need to provide that financial support before noon on April 25th. The project is on track to meet its $14,000 funding goal, however, so it’s fairly safe to say that you’ll be able to snag one of these cardboard contraptions even if you aren’t ready to take the plunge just yet. Jump past the break to see the Berlin Boombox in action, and to catch up with our last Insert Coin project: The PowerPot.Continue reading Insert Coin: Berlin Boombox recyclable cardboard stereo (video)
Insert Coin: Berlin Boombox recyclable cardboard stereo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
Engadget German | Kickstarter, Berlin Boombox | Email this | Comments - StatCounter finds 1366 x 768 to be most popular screen resolution for the first time
It’s had quite a run, but it looks like the old standby resolution of web designers everywhere, 1024 x 768, has finally been eclipsed by a newer, wider rival. According to web analytics firm StatCounter, use of 1024 x 768 fell from 41.8 percent in March of 2009 to 18.6 percent this March, while 1366 x 768 (common to many laptops) shot up from just 0.68 percent to 19.28 percent during the same time period, making it the most popular screen resolution worldwide. 1280 x 800 sits in third place at 13 percent, while all other resolutions remain in the single digits. Those interested can break down those stats further at the second source link below.StatCounter finds 1366 x 768 to be most popular screen resolution for the first time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
Hacker News | StatCounter (1), (2) | Email this | Comments - Sony Xperia Sola hits the FCC, gets dissected by regulators
Sola, Pepper, MT27i — it’s got many names, and now it’s got the official thumbs up from American regulators. The Sony Xperia Sola made an appearance at the FCC, got itself torn asunder and even dragged along its user manual. Beneath the rather underwhelming 3.7-inch 854 x 480 LCD is quite a collection of antennas, including NFC, 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 and a quadband GSM radio. Of course, all that is being powered by a serviceable, but hardly barn-burning, 1GHz dual-core processor and saddled with Gingerbread. (Though, Sony promises an ICS upgrade will be delivered this summer.) Check out the source link for all the regulatory filing fun and to see the Sola splayed open on a table.
Sony Xperia Sola hits the FCC, gets dissected by regulators originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
FCC | Email this | Comments - Asus Eee Pad MeMo benchmarks come out fighting, other slates take note (video)
It’s been a long and winding road for the tongue-twisting Asus Eee Pad MeMo ME171, and though we did get a first-hand look back at CES it’s finally available to call your own. The team over at Netbook News decided to take the 7″, 1280 x 800 display totin’, 1.2GHz Snapdragon powered slab and give a good benchmarking — which always piques our interest. NenaMark and NenaMark 2 landed at 34.5- and 24-fps respectively. Quadrant, on the other hand, came in around the 1,800 mark, about the same as the Transformer TF101. If you’re more into Antutu or Vellamo, then the numbers you are after are 4,377 and 975 (compared to the Transformer Prime‘s 953). Last in the list was SunSpider, which drops in at 2,546.5 — a nose ahead of the Note‘s 2,902. Check the video after the break if you want the full unboxing.
Continue reading Asus Eee Pad MeMo benchmarks come out fighting, other slates take note (video)
Asus Eee Pad MeMo benchmarks come out fighting, other slates take note (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Western Digital ships 7mm HDD for Ultrabooks, losing down pavement cracks
Western Digital is whipping the sheets clear from a new, 7mm tall 2.5-inch mobile HDD that’ll sit nicely inside your Ultrabook or other skinny device. The single-platter Scorpio Blue comes in 320 and 500GB varieties and will even sit nearly in 9.5mm slots (just, you know, bring along some blu-tack to pad the void around the drive bay). The units boast of super-low power management, quiet operation (with WD’s WhisperDrive tech) and capable of taking a shock of 400Gs. It’s available from today via selected retailers, the 320GB edition costing $80 and the 500GB version $100. Just be careful not to look at it side-on, after all, it’s so thin you may not find it again.Continue reading Western Digital ships 7mm HDD for Ultrabooks, losing down pavement cracks
Western Digital ships 7mm HDD for Ultrabooks, losing down pavement cracks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
[...] Read more … Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in Uncategorized by qwefw. Bookmark the permalink. [...]