Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Switched On: The fit and the pendulum]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/12/switched-on-the-fit-and-the-pendulum/http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/12/switched-on-the-fit-and-the-pendulum/http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/12/switched-on-the-fit-and-the-pendulum/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.


In the pre-smartphone era, the industry focused on making cell phones smaller. In the 2001 movie Zoolander, the title character played by Ben Stiller uses a humorously diminutive flip phone closer to the size of a Bluetooth headset than the StarTAC it parodies. But if the movie were being made today (IMDB lists a sequel slated for 2014), the fictional male model might hold up an iPad 2 or Toshiba Excite to his head: particularly since 2010, phones have been expanding to accommodate their sprawling displays.

Continue reading Switched On: The fit and the pendulum

Switched On: The fit and the pendulum originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>ATTbluetoothcellcellphonecolumnEVOGalaxy NexusGalaxyNexusHP VeerHpVeerHTClarge displaysLargeDisplaysLTEphabletRAZR MAXXRazrMaxxSamsungsmartphoneSwitched Onswitchedontablet phoneTabletPhonewebOSSun, 12 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EDT<![CDATA[Switched On: New World Recorder]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/05/switched-on-new-world-recorder/http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/05/switched-on-new-world-recorder/http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/05/switched-on-new-world-recorder/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.


When it comes to time-shifting television viewing, the conversation these days usually involves premium streaming services -- namely, Netflix and Hulu Plus. But consumers routinely shell out more than they do for either of these services -- in fact, sometimes more than for both of them combined -- simply to have more convenient access to the television from their existing cable or satellite subscriptions. Not only that, they're often willing to put up with a large, relatively noisy (and failure-prone!) box for this privilege. That box is the digital video recorder.

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Switched On: New World Recorder originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>Blockbustercable providerCableProvidercolumnDishhome tvHomeTvHuluHulu plusHuluPlusNetflixrecorderReplay TVReplayTvsatellite tvSatelliteTvSimple.TvSRS TruVolumeSrsTruvolumestreaming tvStreamingTvswitched onSwitchedOntvVideoNowSun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EDT<![CDATA[Switched On: You tell me it's the institution]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/29/apple-ibooks-learning-education-schools/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/29/apple-ibooks-learning-education-schools/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/29/apple-ibooks-learning-education-schools/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Apple rose to dominate sales of digital music by more or less mirroring the way consumers acquired music in the physical world -- that is, purchasing songs, but providing a greater degree of granularity. This worked well for music and has also held true for apps and best-selling books, but hasn't been as in step with consumer media acquisition habits for other content.

For example, before Apple brought sales of video material to iTunes, most consumers did not generally own TV shows except for perhaps a few cherished series on DVD. They either watched them as they aired as part of a cable-like subscription or paid a flat monthly fee for the privilege of recording them on a DVR to be viewed after they aired. Furthermore, both Blockbuster physical stores and later Netflix's DVD by mail feature relied on a system of one-time consumption via rental or subscription that eschewed ownership of movies. And today, Vevo.com offers free streaming of many music videos that Apple still seeks to sell.

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Switched On: You tell me it's the institution originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>applecollegecolumne booke bookse readere readerse-booke-bookse-readere-readerse-textbooke-textbookseducationhigh schoolHighSchoolibook authorIbookAuthoribooksibooks 2ibooks authorIbooks2IbooksAuthoriosipadipad 2Ipad2iPhoneitunesitunes storeItunesStorelearningmusicswitched onSwitchedOntextbooktextbooksSun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EDT<![CDATA[Switched On: Connected Electronics Show]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/switched-on-CES-connected-electronics-show/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/switched-on-CES-connected-electronics-show/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/switched-on-CES-connected-electronics-show/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Compared to CES 2011, which featured an explosion of tablets and high-powered smartphones poised to jump on emerging 4G networks, this year's edition of Gear and Gloating in Las Vegas was a more muted affair when it came to mobile devices. Sure, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile trotted out a few devices and there were even a few standouts, such as the Transformer Primesque Lenovo IdeaTab S2 with its its docking keyboard as well as the heavily promoted Galaxy Note, coming soon the U.S. after launching in Europe.

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Switched On: Connected Electronics Show originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>4gAppleBoxeeces 2012Ces2012CetoncolumnDishDVREyefiG.hnGalaxy NoteGalaxyNoteGoFLex SatelliteGoflexSatelliteHomeGridHomePlugIdeaTab S2IdeatabS2LTEOLED TVOledTvRokuSimplet.TVsmartphonesswitched onSwitchedOntabletsTaggVoxxSun, 22 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EDT