Engadget

Introducing 'Follow The Saga': the whole story, regardless of where you jump in

Darren Murph — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:18:00 EDT

Over the years, stories have become more than just single bursts of information. These days, there's as much drama in the consumer technology world as there is sports, politics or your average episode of Days of our Lives. Take SOPA, for example. We'd be remiss of our duties here if we simply reported on what it was, without ever following up on protests, delays, judgments and other vitally important developments. In fact, it's tough to think of too many stories covered today that don't correspond with some sort of saga -- even the departure of RIM's co-CEOs represents just a single slice of a far larger tale. For those that follow this stuff 24/7, jumping in at any point in the story is no issue; piecing together the past with the present is second nature. But if you're actually working during the day, hopping aimlessly into an ongoing saga mid-stream can be downright disorienting. Painful, even. We've been working hard to come up with an unobtrusive solution, and we think we've found it.

We've actually had our Follow The Saga functionality since January of last year -- we quietly debuted it with the launch of Verizon's iPhone 4 -- but today's iteration is far more interactive. We've been testing these out over the past few weeks, and today we're happy to officially introduce them. If you see the badge shown after the break in any post that pops up here at Engadget, just give it a click to be taken to the full saga, and scroll up and down to see related stories before and after the one you happen to be looking at. We're hoping it'll be particularly helpful to those who happen to stumble upon a saga somewhere in the middle, but want to get caught up on what happened prior and where we stand now. As with everything we do, we'll be continually tweaking and evolving the tool in the months ahead. Enjoy!

Psst... want to see it in action? Have a look under the body of this SOPA post to see how we got to where we are today.

Continue reading Introducing 'Follow The Saga': the whole story, regardless of where you jump in

Introducing 'Follow The Saga': the whole story, regardless of where you jump in originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Visualized: futuristic AMELIA aircraft (theoretically) soars through NASA wind tunnel

Darren Murph — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:31:00 EDT

It's the Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics, and it's the brainchild of many, many intelligent beings planted at California Polytechnic State University. The aircraft has been in design courtesy of a grant from NASA, touting engines above the wings and the ability to achieve shockingly short takeoffs and landings. And did we mention it looks sexier than a freshly-washed 787? Yeah.

Continue reading Visualized: futuristic AMELIA aircraft (theoretically) soars through NASA wind tunnel

Visualized: futuristic AMELIA aircraft (theoretically) soars through NASA wind tunnel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | NASA, NBC Bay Area | Email this | Comments

US government rules three Barth patents invalid, sends Rambus scrambling

Darren Murph — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:46:00 EDT

Suing's easy. It's the "winning" that trips folks up. Such is the case with Rambus, who has been relying oh-so-heavily on the so-called trio of Barth patents to actively pursue just about every technology company on the planet. For those unaware, Rambus has christened itself as a "technology licensing company," but with the last of three patents used to win infringement suits against NVIDIA and HP being declared invalid, it's probably scrambling for new tactics. According to a Reuters report, an appeals board at the US Patent and Trademark Office declared the patent invalid a few days back, with the previous two being knocked back in September. A couple of months back, Rambus' stock lost 60 percent of its value after a court decision led to the loss of a $4 billion antitrust lawsuit against Micron and Hynix, and we're guessing things won't be any happier when the markets open back up on Monday. The company's next move? "We're evaluating our options," said spokeswoman Linda Ashmore.

US government rules three Barth patents invalid, sends Rambus scrambling originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments

Quantum speed limits within reach, present moves ever closer to future

Darren Murph — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:28:00 EDT

Got your wire-rimmed spectacles on? Had a full night's rest? Eager to get those synapses firing? Here's hoping, because Marc Cheneau and co. are doing everything they can to stretch the sheer meaning of quantum understanding. The aforesaid scientists recently published an article that details a method for measuring quantum particle interaction in a way that has previously been considered impossible. Put simply (or, as simply as possible), the famed Lieb-Robinson bound was "quantified experimentally for the first time, using a real quantum gas." The technobabble rolls on quite severely from there, but the key here is realize just how much of an impact this has on the study of quantum entanglement, and in turn, quantum computing. For those interested in seeing what lives in a world beyond silicon, dig into the links below. You may never escape, though -- just sayin'.

Quantum speed limits within reach, present moves ever closer to future originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo | ArsTechnica, Nature | Email this | Comments

Nokia clarifies battery update on Lumia 800, promises audio / camera fixes soon

Darren Murph — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:12:00 EDT

Nokia already came clean about the Lumia 800 battery bug, but evidently that just wasn't enough to appease the masses. A community manager in the outfit's own forums has just responded to pages upon pages of comments regarding the most recent update, partly to (re)set the record straight regarding the battery, and partly to address more fixes that are just around the bend. The latest update (1600.2483.8106.11500) was meant to "enhance standby time as well as to bring an improvement to the issue reported by some customers in December," and according to Nokia, said update does indeed address those problems. However, folks that still have concerns regarding audio and camera settings aren't being ignored; those quirks will be worked out in "a series of future updates." Eager to learn more? The full reply is embedded just after the break.

Continue reading Nokia clarifies battery update on Lumia 800, promises audio / camera fixes soon

Nokia clarifies battery update on Lumia 800, promises audio / camera fixes soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileTechWorld | Nokia | Email this | Comments

Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p launches with Radeon HD 7690M GPU

Darren Murph — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:13:00 EDT

Who knew a "p" packed so much punch? Just weeks after Lenovo cut loose with a boatload of new machines, the outfit has quietly slipped out an even newer model tailored for gamers. The 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p looks just about like the existing Y470, but swaps out the middling NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M for a far more potent Radeon HD 7690M. (For those wondering -- yep, that's the same chip in HP's new Envy 15.) There's also a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, an optional 1TB HDD, JBL speakers and a native 1,366 x 768 screen resolution. The unit tips the scales at 4.85 pounds with a six-cell battery, which is supposedly good for up to four hours of usage (in presumably ideal conditions). Other specs include a Blu-ray Disc drive, a two-megapixel webcam, HDMI out and USB 3.0. For now, at least, it looks as if eager beavers can get one headed their way for as low as $799, but the more specced-out models are reaching well over $1,200.

Continue reading Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p launches with Radeon HD 7690M GPU

Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y470p launches with Radeon HD 7690M GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista, The Verge | Lenovo | Email this | Comments

RIM's Thorsten Heins formally introduced: liveblogging the media call

Darren Murph — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:58:00 EDT

If you missed it, RIM attempted to interrupt the Giants vs. 49ers matchup last night by dropping a wee bit of news: it's co-CEOs are gone, and taking the solo CEO badge is former COO Thorsten Heins. The new head honcho will be formally introduced in a media call slated to begin at 8:00AM ET on January 23rd, 2012, and we'll be liveblogging every moment of it for those who can't tune in. We've already learned a fair amount about the gentleman's plans courtesy of an introductory video, but we'll be listening in for any hints as to future QNX plans, PlayBook ambitions or BlackBerry wizardry. Join us after the break for the play-by-play!

January 23, 2012 8:00 AM EST

Continue reading RIM's Thorsten Heins formally introduced: liveblogging the media call

RIM's Thorsten Heins formally introduced: liveblogging the media call originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Editorial: RIM's new CEO isn't the shakeup it needed

Darren Murph — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:32:00 EDT

For a brief moment, I had hopes that RIM had made a move that would unseat it from the funk it's been sitting in for years. And then I watched the introductory video of newly-appointed CEO Thorsten Heins. Anyone who assumes that a simple CEO swap is the answer to all of RIM's issues is woefully misinformed, or worse, just blinded by false hope. Sure, removing Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis -- both of which have been rightly criticized for not responding to market pressures quickly enough -- is a start, but it's not like they're gone. In fact, the two are still situated at a pretty fancy table within Research in Motion's organizational chart.

RIM, we've been here before

RIM seems to be as lost as my BlackBerry

Dear RIM, I'm your customer and I don't wear a suit

Have a listen at this: Mike is hanging around as the Vice Chair of RIM's Board and Chair of the Board's new Innovation Committee. You heard right -- the guy who has outrightly failed to innovate at anything in the past handful of years is now championing an innovation committee. Sounds right up his alley, no? Jim's staying put as an outright director, and if you think anyone at RIM is going to brush aside the input of the founders, you're wrong. Jim and Mike may have new titles, but they're still here, and I have no reason to believe that they'll act radically different going forward than they have in the past. Oh, and about Thorsten Heins? Let's go there.

Continue reading Editorial: RIM's new CEO isn't the shakeup it needed

Editorial: RIM's new CEO isn't the shakeup it needed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy box points to first paid DLC for Nintendo 3DS

Darren Murph — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:54:00 EDT

3DS owners have been waiting (and waiting) for a chance to take advantage of a downloadable content market, and while Nintendo already accomplished the tough part (read: launching it) a few days back, there's still been no word on when paid content would make an appearance. Pushing those freebies aside is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which is seemingly destined to be the first 3DS title in existence to offer up enhancements in exchange for a few yen. The box here is actually an "early retail dummy unit," though the verbiage on the back makes quite clear that downloadable material will be available at a cost. Furthermore, there's a heretofore unseen Nintendo Network badge on the front, which may be a new look for the existing Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. At any rate, the game is scheduled to ship on February 16th in Japan, after which all of this will-it-won't-it drama will presumably be cleared up.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy box points to first paid DLC for Nintendo 3DS originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Computer and Video Games, Joystiq | Joshua_X (Twitter), Andriasang | Email this | Comments

RIM's Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are out, new CEO Thorsten Heins may license BlackBerry 10

Darren Murph — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:28:00 EDT

After months upon months of investor backlash, RIM's making some significant changes. And by "significant," we mean the co-chief executives (and founders) are out. As of tomorrow, both Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis will be stepping away from the top posts, enabling "a little-known company insider" to take over, according to The Wall Street Journal. Purportedly, this is all part of "a board and management shuffle," with COO Thorsten Heins (seen above) to step into what many expect to be an impossible role to thrive in. The Globe and Mail asserts that he'll be immediately seeking a Chief Marketing Officer to polish up the company's severely damaged brand, and he "will not rule out licensing RIM's new BlackBerry 10 operating system to other handset manufacturers." In an interview with the outlet, he stated that he'll be executing "flawlessly" and with vigor -- not unexpected, but still, bold words.

Startlingly, Heins also asserted that he's "confident" in the existing lineup of BlackBerry handsets and the software update recently made available for the PlayBook; call us crazy, but he'd be wise to just spout out reality and make clear that RIM's existing lineup is nowhere near competitive in the grand scheme of things. As for Mike and Jim? The former will become "vice-chair of the board with special duties to examine innovation," with the latter becoming a traditional director. In an interesting move, outgoing co-CEO Lazaridis stated the following: "I think it's that unwillingness to sacrifice our long-term value for short-term gain. That's why we didn't choose Android. That's why we decided to build the future on QNX." So wait, RIM had the chance to choose Android... and didn't? No time like the present to reach back and shake things up, Mr. Heins.

Update: Catch an introduction video to the new CEO just after the break!

Continue reading RIM's Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are out, new CEO Thorsten Heins may license BlackBerry 10

RIM's Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are out, new CEO Thorsten Heins may license BlackBerry 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Peter Rojas (Twitter) | The Wall Street Journal (1), (2), The Globe and Mail, RIM | Email this | Comments

Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated

Darren Murph — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EDT

Yuval Koren is not pleased. For those unaware, he's the CEO of Eye-Fi, the company that has practically written the rules on embedding WiFi into SD cards. If you blinked last week, you probably missed the SD Association's announcement that it had created a new Wireless LAN SD standard that would effectively give just about anyone the ability to add Eye-Fi abilities to their SD cards. As it turns out, Eye-Fi's none too pleased about it, and Koren has gone so far as to publicly admit that the standard is seriously infringing upon highly valuable Eye-Fi technology. To quote: "As [the SDA's standard is] currently written, essential Eye-Fi patented technology would be violated by anyone implementing this draft specification." Bold.

He goes on to explain that his company has invested "tens of millions of dollars and several years to create unique technology that lets people wirelessly transfer photos and videos directly from their camera and mobile devices," and calls the SDA protocol "flat out misrepresentation." He's effectively calling for the SD Association to either pony up and license Eye-Fi's tech, or scrap the "standard" and rewrite it using something else altogether. The full letter is posted up after the break, with absolutely no elation to be found.

Continue reading Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated

Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Eye-Fi | Email this | Comments

Human Birdwings project takes flight... on video!

Darren Murph — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:31:00 EDT

Just now catching up with the Human Birdwings project? Nice timing. The human flight machine -- built by Jarnos Smeets to rely on a Wiimote and Wildfire S, among other niceties -- has just enjoyed its first moments of liftoff. In essence, the wings were strapped onto a willing Earthling, and as he began to flap his arms... well, it's a sight you need to see to fully appreciate. We'll confess that the "flight" didn't last long, but Jarno himself told us that it was but a first "test run." Promising? Oh, yes. Head on past the break for the vid.

Update: The project here has been underway since at least August of last year, but we've requested raw footage of the test flight here to further justify concerns. We'll report back shortly!

Continue reading Human Birdwings project takes flight... on video!

Human Birdwings project takes flight... on video! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Human Birdwings | Email this | Comments

Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA

Darren Murph — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:10:00 EDT

At this point, SOPA needs no introduction. But if you've been diligently ignoring it up until this point, good luck getting through January 18th as an uninformed citizen. Google, Wikipedia and a host of other websites are either going dark or making huge, unmistakable statements on their homepages in protest. Google's tagline? "End Piracy, Not Liberty." Pretty much says it all, really. If you've spotted another site rebelling today, shout it out in comments below -- and while you're in the shouting mood, give your local officials a holler and let 'em know just how much you disapprove.

P.S. - An amazing breakdown of this whole thing can be found here at reddit.

Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Google, Wikipedia | Email this | Comments

Samsung wasn't interested in buying RIM, still isn't interested in buying RIM

Darren Murph — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EDT

Samsung already passed on webOS, and now, it's passing on RIM. The flagging handset maker was reportedly in talks with Samsung about a buyout, but according to a fresh Reuters report, Sammy's "not interested" in taking over Research In Motion. Samsung spokesman James Chun said the following: "We haven't considered acquiring the firm and are not interested in (buying RIM)." Why even respond to a rumor? Well, RIM's shares surged some ten percent at just the whisper, further proving that stocks in the digital age are little more than sophisticated gambling blocks when unfounded rumors are bandied about. So, that's that -- Samsung's not buying RIM, the sun's still warm, and RIM is still too far away from BlackBerry 10.

Samsung wasn't interested in buying RIM, still isn't interested in buying RIM originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments

Yahoo's Jerry Yang quits the company he co-founded, walks away from Alibaba as well

Darren Murph — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:08:00 EDT

The long, drawn-out, oftentimes melodramatic saga revolving around Yahoo itself and co-founder Jerry Yang is well-documented. Perhaps too well. Thankfully for us all, that ends today. As of January 17th, he has resigned from Yahoo's Board of Directors and all other positions with the company, and moreover, has resigned from the Boards of Yahoo Japan Corporation and Alibaba Group Holding Limited. We most recently heard from Yang during his interview at AsiaD, where he sounded none too pleased about the going-ons there. We aren't about to draw links of Yang's exit to the hiring of Scott Thompson as CEO (in fact, Yang praises him in his exit blurb), but we are drawing links to his sudden purchase of a yacht, a new sauna and a round-the-round journey courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent. Kidding. In all seriousness, it's no surprise to see Yahoo's stock rallying, as many felt that Yang was the major roadblock holding up an outright sale or other significant shake-up within its ranks. As for Jerry? He's off to "pursue other interests" -- but we didn't need to tell you that, now did we?

Continue reading Yahoo's Jerry Yang quits the company he co-founded, walks away from Alibaba as well

Yahoo's Jerry Yang quits the company he co-founded, walks away from Alibaba as well originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNBC (Twitter), The Next Web | Yahoo | Email this | Comments

HP appoints Bill Veghte as chief strategy officer, will lead 'cloud and webOS open source initiatives'

Darren Murph — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:48:00 EDT

Bill Veghte was already having his checks cut by HP (after cutting ties with Microsoft), but now he'll be filling a slightly different corner office. The company today announced that he has been appointed chief strategy officer, but somehow, he'll also have enough time to hold onto his current role as executive vice president of HP Software. We're told that he'll be working with HP's senior business and technology brass in order to innovate in ways that perhaps it hasn't lately, with newly-appointed CEO Meg Whitman saying the following: "Every 10 to 15 years, fundamental shifts occur in the IT industry that redefine how technology is delivered. From mainframes to client/server to the internet, companies that identified the opportunity first and developed the right strategy came out on top. As we move forward, HP intends to stay on top, and I believe Bill has the knowledge and vision to keep us there." Strangely, the release (embedded in full after the break) mentions that Bill will be leading HP's "cloud and webOS open source initiatives," but it fails to elaborate on what exactly those "initiatives" may be.

Continue reading HP appoints Bill Veghte as chief strategy officer, will lead 'cloud and webOS open source initiatives'

HP appoints Bill Veghte as chief strategy officer, will lead 'cloud and webOS open source initiatives' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | HP | Email this | Comments

Motorola planning 24-hour Droid RAZR Maxx longevity event for February 6th?

Darren Murph — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:50:00 EDT

Motorola's own website has pointed to a January 26th launch for the long-awaited Droid RAZR Maxx, but it looks like February 6th is the date to really pay attention to. With battery life becoming an even more serious concern due to the proliferation of life-sucking 4G networks, it's become obvious that companies are finally placing those longevity statistics atop their priority list. Samsung itself has already promised to significantly improve battery life in its phones during 2012, and we're now hearing from a trusted source that Moto will be streaming a pretty unorthodox event in order to put its own RAZR Maxx to the test. We're told to expect a 24-hour marathon event, streamed out to the gaping masses, where the aforesaid handset will be powered on and presumably used for a full day -- it's like a David Blaine trick, but for phones. Might as well pencil in 2/6 if you're eager to see if this might actually meet your long-term demands.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Motorola planning 24-hour Droid RAZR Maxx longevity event for February 6th? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Shuttle rolls out bantam XH61 barebones PC, dares you to throw a Sandy Bridge at it

Darren Murph — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:41:00 EDT

It's been a hot minute since we've seen anything compelling from the folks at Shuttle, but there's nothing like a Sandy Bridge-enabled, three-liter PC to get us back on the bandwagon. The XH61 is barely seven centimeters high, and supports second-generation Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors for the LGA1155 socket. You'll get a pair of memory banks (up to 16GB of DDR3 can be thrown in), a foursome of SATA 3Gbps slots, six USB 2.0 ports, HDMI / VGA ports and room for a laptop-sized 2.5-inch HDD / SSD. The 90-watt power supply provides all the juice this little guy needs, and the €146 ($184) price tag actually includes little more than that; being a barebones system and all, it's on you to pick out the particulars.

Continue reading Shuttle rolls out bantam XH61 barebones PC, dares you to throw a Sandy Bridge at it

Shuttle rolls out bantam XH61 barebones PC, dares you to throw a Sandy Bridge at it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear | Shuttle | Email this | Comments

Samsung looks to borrow $1 billion to expand production capacity in Austin, Texas

Darren Murph — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:24:00 EDT

When you're producing chips for the iPad and iPhone, you need a serious facility to meet those demands. And evidently, Samsung's not foreseeing its legal battles with Apple to cause any wrinkles in said plans. In fact, Bloomberg is reporting that Sammy has "sent requests for proposals to banks to borrow as much as $1 billion to expand production capacity at its factory in Austin, Texas," with the bonds to be issued by Samsung's US unit. It's bruited that the company -- which has around $19.2 billion in cash -- may sell its first overseas bonds since 1997 due to the impossibly low cost of borrowing money these days, and in a time where positive economic news is tough to come by, it's quite the relief to see a bit of forward progress come from historically low interest rates. Reuters is reporting that the investment will mostly be used to "boost production of mobile chips and next-generation OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display panels," but specific details beyond that remain murky.

Samsung looks to borrow $1 billion to expand production capacity in Austin, Texas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Bloomberg, Reuters | Email this | Comments

Leaving Las Vegas: Team Engadget departs CES 2012

Darren Murph — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EDT

CES 2012. It's over, but it'll leave a lasting impression on us all. And by "lasting," we mean "eternal." It'll also go down as the most attended CES ever, with more exhibitors and more product launches than ever before. Engadget as a team hit more news than ever before, covered more hands-ons than ever before and just generally sat in awe at the sheer quantity of news that flowed from the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The trends this year? A fair question, indeed. Truthfully, we didn't spot a single category overshadowing the rest, but it's safe to say that LTE, slimmer-than-slim HDTVs and the promise of Windows 8 tablets kept themselves fresh in our mind. We've assembled an array of wrap-up posts to clue those in who couldn't (or would rather not) keep pace with the absolute torrent of announcements from the event, a boatload of statistics to pore over and a final video from the show.

On a personal note, I had an absolute blast with the team. From our trailer to our stage within the LVCC, from the raucous Unveiled show floor to the background dings and bloops in McCarran International Airport, the past week (and change) has been truly amazing, and getting this many people who are passionate about technology into a single place is a downright magical experience. We're fortunate and humbled to be able to do this, and despite a near-total lack of sleep and some questionable food choices, we're still as jazzed as ever to fight through crowds in order to get the first shots of [insert gizmo here]. From us to you, thanks for sticking through the madness once more, and here's to another amazing year in consumer technology. We couldn't do it without you, and frankly, we wouldn't want to.

So, what's next for us? Well, planning for CES 2013 has already begun, and we'll probably find ourselves at a few Apple events in the near future. Oh, and we'll be bringing you the blow-by-blow from Mobile World Congress in a matter of weeks. We'll sleep, as they say, when we're dead.

Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas: Team Engadget departs CES 2012

Leaving Las Vegas: Team Engadget departs CES 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Note Notepad hands-on at CES: it's like a Note, but analog

Darren Murph — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:19:00 EDT

What if Samsung made a Galaxy Note, but instead of throwing a dual-core processor, a few megabytes (or gigabytes, whatever) of RAM, and random pieces of silicon between the front and rear covers, it included an undetermined amount of paper? What it we lived in a world where that type of activity was not only okay, but encouraged? What if the Note is actually the Notepad in a parallel universe? What if the aforesaid parallel universe is reality in Las Vegas, Nevada? Think about it.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note Notepad hands-on at CES

Samsung Galaxy Note Notepad hands-on at CES: it's like a Note, but analog originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

White Galaxy Nexus shows itself, plans an arctic vacation

Darren Murph — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EDT

We knew a snowed-out version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus was on pace for a February release, and while we've still got a few weeks left, it looks as if one or two have slipped through the cracks. The fine folks over at HDBlog.it managed to get a hold of the prized possession, and for anyone who has managed to pass their eyes over the white Galaxy S II, there's not a lot to be shocked by. The bezel along the front remains black, but hey -- beggars can't be picky, right? Tap that source link for a gallery's worth of eye candy.

White Galaxy Nexus shows itself, plans an arctic vacation originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge | HDBlog.it (translated) | Email this | Comments

Tesla loses two Model S executives, Elon Musk says it's no big deal

Darren Murph — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:55:00 EDT

A pair of bigwigs over at electric vehicle maker Tesla have drawn their final checks, with Peter Rawlinson and Nick Sampson calling it quits. The former was the automaker's vice president and chief engineer, while the latter "supervising vehicle and chassis engineering." Ricardo Reyes, a company spokesman, emailed the following: "Having completed conceptual and design engineering work on Model S, Peter has decided to step away to tend to personal matters in the U.K." The Model S, if you'll recall, is the un-launched four-door sedan that has heaps riding on its success, so it's no big shock to hear that the outfit's stock plunged around 20 percent following Bloomberg's report. Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive officer and biggest shareholder, stated that "the uncertainty around [the] Model S is now much diminished, as anyone who has seen the beta vehicles and toured the factory will appreciate; there is no question in my mind that we will start delivering vehicles in July, if not sooner." Musk took to Twitter to assure people that the shock reverberating from the news was "way overstated," insinuating that the company's still well in control of its destiny. Whatever the case, we'd still take a couple of those S sedans in our garage, regardless of who's heading up their deployment.

Tesla loses two Model S executives, Elon Musk says it's no big deal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Elon Musk (Twitter) | Businessweek, Bloomberg | Email this | Comments

CES 2012 sets all-time records for attendance, exhibitors and claimed floor space

Darren Murph — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:36:00 EDT

CES 2013 has already been scheduled (it's January 8 - 11, for those curious), and it'll have new records to break once things get going again. A source close to the CEA informed us today that CES 2012 has broken a trifecta of records already, and the final tallies aren't even in yet. For starters, more people attended CES this year than ever before. That's people who actually showed up and claimed a badge -- not just those who registered and flaked -- with the final figure already confirmed to be upward of 153,000. That trumps the 152,203 that arrived in Las Vegas back in 2006, as well as the 149,529 that hit the ground here last year.

Furthermore, a record amount of exhibition space was claimed, with 1.86 million net square feet used this year; the prior record was set in 2008 when 1.857 million net square feet were claimed. Finally, a new record was set when looking at the total number of exhibitors, with over 3,100 outfits checking in this go 'round. The prior record? 3,072, which was set in 2008. There's no question that CES felt busier than ever for us this year, and now we've got the numbers to prove our suspicions -- naturally, we're already mentally gearing up for CES 2013. We'll be here, and hopefully so will you.

Update: The official PR is out! It's embedded after the break.

P.S. - You can relive our CES 2012 coverage right here in our hub!

Continue reading CES 2012 sets all-time records for attendance, exhibitors and claimed floor space

CES 2012 sets all-time records for attendance, exhibitors and claimed floor space originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | CEA | Email this | Comments

iPad 3 rumored to bring faster CPU, higher-resolution display and LTE this March

Darren Murph — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:24:00 EDT

On one hand, it's just another iPad rumor. On the other, there's an interesting wrinkle here that hasn't been confirmed -- let alone talked about seriously -- in past reports. Bloomberg is reporting that the iPad 3 will go on sale as early as March, boasting a higher-resolution screen, a speedier processor and support for "next-generation wireless networks." According to the all-common "unnamed sources," the outfit's manufacturing partners are purportedly "ramping up production" of the device this month, with full volume to be hit by February. Within, you'll supposedly find a quad-core chip and support for LTE, but it's unclear whether or not both AT&T and Verizon's 4G networks will be supported.

As it stands, the iPad 2 can be purchased with a Verizon 3G or AT&T 3G module within, and we highly doubt Apple would prefer to launch the next iPad with LTE support on just one or the other. Moreover, the solidification of LTE within the iPad is the best confirmation yet that the wireless spec will also be a part of the iPhone 5; granted, that's far from written in stone, but if Apple has managed to get battery life to a comfortable place, there's no reason to not give prospective buyers an avenue to hop on the faster mobile superhighway.

iPad 3 rumored to bring faster CPU, higher-resolution display and LTE this March originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Techmeme | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments

Sisvel International acquires over 450 Nokia patents, most of which relate to wireless

Darren Murph — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:35:00 EDT

Remember Sisvel International? You know, that company that linked up with Apple and Siemens in order to engage on a full-on patent assault during CeBIT 2010? It's back, and it's snapping up 47 patent families comprised of more than 450 patents and applications originally filed by Nokia. We're told that the patents and patent applications "cover technologies used in a wide range of mobile communications devices and services," with over 350 of 'em being called "essential" to second, third and fourth-generation communications standards, including GSM, UMTS / WCDMA and LTE. The balance of the portfolio -- just in case you're curious -- consists of implementation patents including video encoding optimization technologies. Not surprisingly, the acquired patents remain subject to certain prior agreements and Nokia is licensed under the portfolio as part of the acquisition. Head on past the break for the official word.

Continue reading Sisvel International acquires over 450 Nokia patents, most of which relate to wireless

Sisvel International acquires over 450 Nokia patents, most of which relate to wireless originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Sisvel | Email this | Comments

Texas Instruments demos first OMAP 5, Android 4.0-based reference design, promises it in laptops next year (video)

Darren Murph — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:20:00 EDT

Texas Instruments promised us a new helping of OMAP right around a year ago, and sure enough, OMAP 5 processors will be sampling to partners as early as next week. Texas Instruments' Remi El-Ouazzane (VP of OMAP) just debuted an OMAP 5-based reference design (or "development platform," if you will) on our CES stage, a solid four years after OMAP 3 debuted on a nondescript Archos tablet. OMAP 5 brings along a pair of cores and plenty of power savings, a dual-GPU architecture and more raw horsepower than the average simpleton is used to handling in a single palm. We saw quite a bit of swiping through Android 4.0.1, and as you'd expect, everything looked decidedly snappy. 720p video at 30 frames per second is no real chore, with the platform capable of pushing 1080p material at 64 frames per second (130 frames per second without screen refresh limitations). Of course, with everything being hardware accelerated, we can't feign surprise about its future on netbooks and laptops. To quote Remi:

"This is the greatest platform on Earth right now... way ahead of Apple, and it's the first Cortex-A15 (which runs 2x faster than the Cortex-A9) product on the market. When running two Cortex-A15 chips at 800MHz, it's more or less the same performance as running two Cortex-A9s at 1.5GHz. You'll see [commercially available products] ramping up with this stuff in late 2012 or early 2013. We are also running Windows 8 on the latest OMAP; it runs perfectly well, and we've been working very closely with Microsoft. We're working on multiple form factors -- tablets, thin-and-lights -- and we think ARM is going to bring tablets to the masses."

He also made clear that he's hoping to bring more and more Android into the enterprise, therefore accelerating the proliferation of the OS as a whole. Moreover, he told us to "expect" OMAP 5 in laptops and Ultrabooks running Windows 8, and alluded to the possibility of seeing the first ones by CES 2013. Have a peek at the first-ever reference demo in the gallery below, and have a look at the video just past the break.

Gallery: Texas Instruments first-ever OMAP 5 reference design demo at CES 2012

Continue reading Texas Instruments demos first OMAP 5, Android 4.0-based reference design, promises it in laptops next year (video)

Texas Instruments demos first OMAP 5, Android 4.0-based reference design, promises it in laptops next year (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Sony Music Unlimited bringing its own streaming flair to iOS soon

Darren Murph — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:34:00 EDT

We heard back in December that Sony's fledgling Music Unlimited service would eventually be spreading its wings to cover even more operating systems, and here at CES 2012, we've learned that it's Apple's own iOS on the docket. Tim Schaaff, head of Sony Entertainment Network noted this week that the company will offer a gratis iPhone and iPad app for Music Unlimited "at some point this quarter." It's bruited that the iOS edition will offer offline caching for subscribers to its service (at least the premium ones), enabling 'em to save playlists for listening even when away from a network connection. Naturally, Sony's got some stiff competition in the world of iOS tunage, but it's hoping that at least a few million of those iOS users grow its Music Unlimited user base from a million to... well, more than a million. We're assuming that the pricing will remain the same, with $4 per month grabbing you a basic subscription and $10 per month netting you a premo level of service. So, you downloading on day one, or what?

Sony Music Unlimited bringing its own streaming flair to iOS soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch | VentureBeat, The Verge | Email this | Comments

Apple promises 'education announcement' in New York on January 19th

Darren Murph — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:27:00 EDT

We'd heard it was coming, and for the second year in a row, Apple has disrupted the natural flow of CES by announcing an event of its own. Granted, this one -- slated to be held January 19th at the Guggenheim Museum -- is packing far fewer implications than the Verizon iPhone event of 2011, but suffice it to say, anyone who enjoys "learning" should be tuning in later this month. If you'll recall, it was reported by TechCrunch that the event would be entirely related to publishing, with no new hardware on tap; Fox's own Clayton Morris followed up to say that it'd have something to do with iTunes. We're guessing it'll link somehow to iTunes U, and considering that Apple hasn't made a major public push into the land of EDU since the eMac, perhaps it's time that the company got things like Reading Rainbow into the hands of dazed and confused grade-schoolers everywhere.

Apple promises 'education announcement' in New York on January 19th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Techmeme | The Loop | Email this | Comments

A behind the scenes look at the Engadget CES stage!

Darren Murph — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Guys, haven't you heard? We've got our own stage at the Las Vegas Convention Center this year, right in the thick of the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. And all week we'll be delivering live podcasts, as well as nonstop interviews with some of the most prominent companies setup here on the floor. Keep it locked here all week for the usual CES blitz, and if you're curious as to what the stage itself takes to operate, there's a video above that deserves your attention.

A behind the scenes look at the Engadget CES stage! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | CES hub | Email this | Comments