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Google Nexus 7 mod unlocks 720p recording on front-facing camera
To the delight of live event crowds everywhere, the ASUS-made Nexus 7 sidestepped the primary camera route, only furnishing the slab with a 1.2-megapixel front-facer. While it didn't take long for app-makers to tweak their wares especially for Google's statement tablet, users over at XDA Developers have dug a little deeper to unlock the shooter's 720p recording potential, removing the previous 480p cap. There are several (relatively simple) ways to get it done -- visit the source for the full instructions.
Samsung Captivate Glide review
The QWERTY slider hasn't exactly gone the way of the dinosaur, but it's definitely approaching giant panda status. That is to say, it's become rare for a major device manufacturer to output anything other than candybar touchscreen smartphones. And why not? Slimmer, faster, beastlier is the mobile motto as of late and that's precisely what consumers seem to gravitate towards. But for diehard fans of tactile feedback, Samsung's birthed the Captivate Glide, a handset that marries the best of both form factors. Sitting just below its high-end brethren, Sammy's 4-incher runs along AT&T's 21Mbps HSPA+ network and bundles an 800 x 480 Super AMOLED display with a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 1,650mAh battery, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1.3MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear camera capable of 720p video capture. At $150 on a two-year contract, it's just half a Benjamin short of the top-tier, LTE-capable HTC Vivid. With that small of a price divide, you have to wonder: is the downgrade really worth it for the Captivate Glide's (comparatively) slower speeds and physical buttons? Are you willing to trade-in thin and sleek for messaging convenience and a bit of bulk? Follow on past the break as we deliver the answers to those burning questions. %Gallery-142058%
Archos unveils bare-bones Arnova 7 Android tablet, priced at $99
We caught a brief glimpse of Archos' new Arnova 7 tablet when it hit the FCC last week and now, we have a few more details on the company's affordable Android-based slate. Though there's no information on its RAM or processing capacity, the latest addition to the Arnova clan boasts a seven-inch, resistive touchscreen LCD with 800x480 resolution, supports 720p HD playback, and offers 4GB of flash memory. Running on Froyo, this WiFi-enabled slab will give you access to the AppsLib store, rather than the Android Market, and won't come with any of the front- or rear-facing cameras you'd expect from higher-end products. But, then again, it's pretty hard to argue with any tablet priced at just $99. No word yet on when the Arnova 7 will start shipping, but we'll let you know as soon as we find out.
Boxee names Viewster as first global VOD provider, still no word on Netflix
It looks like Boxee may be punting its deadline for Netflix integration again, but it did throw global users a small bone via a new partnership with Viewster to add "premium VOD content." If the Viewster brand doesn't ring a bell, don't worry, we didn't know much about it either. A little sleuthing on its parent company site, though, revealed the service provides access to hit movies and TV shows (some in 720p), as well as day-and-date releases and ad-supported content "wherever possible." The site also boasts the library has 5,000 plus titles, licensed from over 100 suppliers like iTunes, Hulu, Sony, and ironically Netflix -- but that includes short content clips too. Naturally, we wanted to check out available titles for ourselves, but quickly learned that the library can only be browsed on Viewster-compatible devices after registering and providing payment details upfront, which set our scheme sensors a ringin'. Specifics on when Viewster access will appear on Boxee or what pricing will be like is also unknown, so for now feel free to join us in being vaguely underwhelmed after reading the full PR below. [Thanks, PJ]
Apple TV 4.1 update is apparently resulting in loss of 720p output for some unlucky souls
We've been monitoring a growing thread on Apple's support discussion forums where users are complaining about their recently acquired Apple TV only outputting 480p after updating the OS to 4.1 last week. That's obviously a big step down from the 720p resolution touted at launch, and if the plight of these posters is indicative of anything, it seems the perpetrating update has somehow changed the HDMI resolution negotiation of the device -- which rears its ugly head in specific setups. Speaking of setups, though the issue was originally shared by a user who directly connected the device to their TV via HDMI, it appears the vast majority of posters are using an HDMI-to-DVI cable. This latter complaint offers an easy out for Cupertino since the Apple TV's fine print clearly states DVI isn't supported -- meaning if it worked perfectly with the previous OS, it was just a lucky coincidence. So how bout' it readers? Are any of you experiencing this issue with your shiny new hockey puck without involving DVI? Let us know in the comments below.
Confirmed: Apple TV can play 1080p content from iTunes, but still only outputs 720p
The header says it all folks. We just ran some tests on the AppleTV's playback limits by streaming 1080p movie trailers in iTunes and managed to verify murmurs saying the device can accept 1080p content. Unfortunately, output is a different story, since it downscales the image back to 720p on your display. Yes it's a little frustrating -- especially since it's predecessor was up to the challenge -- but it should at least comfort those with a massive library of 1080p videos who were worried about reconverting for their new black box. Considering the hardware gems discovered in the AppleTV teardown however, we're still holding out for the jailbreak community to let us play our 1080p files, and display them too. Oh, and if they could get to work on Super-Hi Vision support at some point, well, that'd be just dandy.
Nokia makes E7 QWERTY slider official: 'beautiful and all business' (update: specs)
Nokia's just unveiled its aluminum-clad E7 QWERTY slider handset. One of the new family of Symbian^3 devices, it has a 4-inch tilting touchscreen display on the front and an 8 megapixel imager capable of 720p video on the back. Yummy. It's said to be the best business device Nokia, or anyone else, has ever produced and comes with the touted ability to create PowerPoint slides on the go. The E7 also features Nokia's new ClearBlack Display sorcery and is expected to ship before the end of the year in exchange for €495 (before taxes and subsidies). You'll find the full press release after the break. Update: By now you'll have noticed that the E7 and N8 are almost identical outside of the E7's 4-inch display and slightly bigger chassis required to host it. There are a few other differences, though. For example, The 12.9mm-thin N8 has an FM transmitter and 2mm charging connector unlike the slightly thicker 13.6mm E7. The E7's bigger display also trims back the reported talk time to 540 minutes (the N8 does 720 minutes). Of course, as part of the business focused E-series, the E7 also features a healthy set of preloaded apps including Mail for Exchange (with MS Outlook sync of contacts, calendar, and notes and multiple calendars with meeting request support), IBM Lotus Notes Traveler, Quickoffice dynamic premium, Adobe PDF reader, and F-Secure Anti-theft. The N8 counters with the better camera and stereo mic, thanks to a big 1/1.83-inch 12 megapixel sensor and Xenon flash that require some extra girth on the backend. Oh, and no MicroSD slot on the E7 -- you get 16GB and that's it.%Gallery-102110%
Official: HTC rolling out Android 2.2, 720p video, iTunes sync to unlocked Euro Desires this weekend
We've just heard directly from HTC regarding that hotly anticipated upgrade to Android 2.2: it's happening this weekend for lucky Euroland owners of the Desire. Provided your Sense-laden 3.7-incher is not carrier-locked, you should be receiving your serving of Froyo by the end of the week, together with a new 720p video mode and iTunes sync for your music. HTC is also throwing in its App Share widget that it first introduced with the Wildfire, along with its smart Caller ID feature. Very nice, though it's quite a shame that operator-specific versions of the update are still stuck in testing and are expected "in several weeks' time." Ah well, guess that'll teach us to buy our gear unlocked. Update: Owners of unlocked Desires around Europe (and for that matter, the world) have informed us that OTA Froyo is being dished out in earnest. Enjoy!
GPU-accelerated 720p Flash video gets demoed on a netbook (smoothly)
It's been a long wait since NVIDIA and Adobe announced their plans for GPU-accelerated Flash video back in January of this year, but it looks like the pair now finally have something to show for themselves. While it's not quite clear how official it is just yet, the folks at NotebookJournal have nonetheless published a video that shows 720p Flash video running smoothly on a netbook (an ION-powered HP Mini 311, to be specific). Unfortunately, it looks like we'll still have to wait until sometime in the first half of 2010 to see the technology become publicly available (at least if the slides in the video are any indication), but you can now check out the demo for yourself after the break. Just be sure to stick with it for a while or skip ahead to the 1:20 mark -- they show a non-accelerated video at the beginning for an all too painful comparison.[Via Liliputing]
