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: Competing by hook or by Nook]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/06/competing-by-hook-or-by-nook/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/06/competing-by-hook-or-by-nook/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/06/competing-by-hook-or-by-nook/#comments Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

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Microsoft has a long history of supporting bitter rivals -- even those that have long publicly disparaged the company, offering funds to Nokia, Corel and, most famously, Apple. It also has a long history of supporting e-reading. Prior to ending development last year, the company offered its Microsoft Reader software for about a decade -- first on handheld devices using Windows CE and Windows Mobile and later on desktop Windows. Those two traditions intersected yesterday as Microsoft invested in a new Nook e-book business designed to compete better against Apple and especially Amazon.com.

Continue reading Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook

Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columne booke bookse readere readerse-booke-bookse-readere-readersross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOnSun, 06 May 2012 18:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: When the smartphone giveth, Part 2]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/22/when-the-smartphone-giveth-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/22/when-the-smartphone-giveth-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/22/when-the-smartphone-giveth-part-2/#comments Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.



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In case you missed it, Part I of this article can be found here

Last week's Switched On discussed the Slacker Portable, Sony eMarker and TrafficGauge, three dedicated devices that didn't make it but saw their functionality ultimately realized via smartphones. But there have been other idea for which the idea ultimately proved popular as smartphone bits rather than separately packaged atoms.

Continue reading Switched On: When the smartphone giveth, Part 2

Switched On: When the smartphone giveth, Part 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnKodak EasyshareKodakEasysharemodo.netross rubinRossRubinsmart displaySmartDisplaysmartphonesswitched onSwitchedOnSun, 22 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/11/switched-on-the-ipads-landscape-orientation/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/11/switched-on-the-ipads-landscape-orientation/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/11/switched-on-the-ipads-landscape-orientation/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The two major classes of tablet seeking to grab a share of the iPad's market have in many ways been driven by operating system advances. Windows 8 will bring the new Metro user interface and ARM support to allow what has historically been the more powerful PC class to scale down. Android 4.0 unifies the platform's tablet and smartphone operating systems, encouraging it to take better advantage of the larger screen capabilities and scale up.

Indeed, the full potential of the new iPad won't be known until the release of iOS 6 to fuel Apple's historically tight pairing of hardware and software; that other shoe will likely drop at its developer conference in June. Despite the lack of a new operating system or form factor, the third-generation iPad and its now price-reduced predecessor have set the stage for how Apple plans to defend against Android and Windows tablets.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation

Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleform factorFormFactoriosipadipad 3ipad hdIpad3IpadHdnew ipadNewIpadross rubinRossRubinslateswitched onSwitchedOntabletthird-genSun, 11 Mar 2012 22:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Engadget Distro Issue 12 -- Now with more exclusive content!]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/11/engadget-distro-issue-12-now-with-more-exclusive-content/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/11/engadget-distro-issue-12-now-with-more-exclusive-content/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/11/engadget-distro-issue-12-now-with-more-exclusive-content/#comments You asked and we answered. Engadget Distro Issue 12 is here, and it's full of original content. We've got not one, not two, but three never-before-published features for you this week. Michael Gorman takes you on a tour of NASA's next-gen spacecraft, Brad Molen goes behind the scenes at AT&T to reveal what it takes to make a smartphone, and analyst Ross Rubin makes his Distro debut to pose the question: What's next for the nano? This week we'll also bring you our Nokia Lumia 800 and Motorola Droid RAZR reviews and follow HotHardware's Dave Altavilla in his ascent to geekdom. And last, but certainly not least, Box Brown gives you a healthy helping of iPad 3 rumors in the Distro comic. So, pick up that iPad or hit the PDF link below and get ready for a nice long read.

Distro Issue 12 PDF
Distro on the iTunes App Store
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Engadget Distro Issue 12 -- Now with more exclusive content! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>attDave AltavillaDaveAltavilladistrodroid razrDroidRazrengadgetengadget distroEngadgetDistrohdpostcrossissue 12Issue12magazinemobilepostcrossnasanokia lumia 800NokiaLumia800orionross rubinRossRubinweeklyFri, 11 Nov 2011 09:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Apple's cloud conundrum]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/12/switched-on-apples-cloud-conundrum/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/12/switched-on-apples-cloud-conundrum/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/12/switched-on-apples-cloud-conundrum/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

It is hard to believe that Apple has been trying its hand at the Internet services space since the year 2000, when it launched iTools. Like nearly all of iCloud, with which it shares its trademark vowel prefix, iTools was free. Unlike iCloud, though, its collection of services was all over the map, ranging from Web page creation to greeting cards. iCloud marks the third reboot of Apple's Web services suite since that foray. In the intervening years, we've seen .Mac (essentially a subscription version of most iTools features), and MobileMe, which paved the way for the contact and calendar synchronization that will be free as part of iCloud.

Modern-day Apple has shown an appreciation for seamless network access since the launch of the iMac in 1998, which eschewed floppy drives in favor of network-based sharing. One can even trace a belief in the power of the network further back to eWorld, AppleLink, and even the Mac's early, simple networking technologies, AppleTalk and LocalTalk. Internet services are clearly complementary to advanced devices running sophisticated software -- two areas where Apple excels. So why has the cloud rained on Apple?

Continue reading Switched On: Apple's cloud conundrum

Switched On: Apple's cloud conundrum originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Applecloudcloud computingcloud storageCloudComputingCloudStoragecolumniCloudinternetiToolsRoss RubinRossRubinstorageSwitched OnSwitchedOnSun, 12 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: As Windows loses its windows]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/switched-on-as-windows-loses-its-windows/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/switched-on-as-windows-loses-its-windows/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/switched-on-as-windows-loses-its-windows/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know... . you might get one if you're a patient Windows user. With Windows' eighth major release (at least according to Microsoft's math), its name is becoming metaphorical. Taking on a default look that is rooted in Windows Phone 7 -- the first "Windows" to eschew windows -- with a smattering of Media Center, the next major version of Windows marks an overhaul of the initial user interface. Indeed, it is even a more radical departure than Apple made between Mac OS X and iOS, which preserved a scaled-down dock and icons, or between Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X.

Apple's and Microsoft's approaches are similar in at least one way -- each has one operating system for PCs and another for phones. Clearly, though, the longtime operating system rivals have taken different tacks with tablets.

Continue reading Switched On: As Windows loses its windows

Switched On: As Windows loses its windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ApplecolumnMicrosoftoperating systemOperatingSystemOSRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnUIuser interfaceUserInterfaceWindowsWindows 8Windows8Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/reserve-power-stand-off-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/reserve-power-stand-off-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/reserve-power-stand-off-part-2/#commentsRoss Rubin contributes Reserve Power, a column focused on personal perspectives and products.


Last week's Reserve Power introduced six handset stands for propping up your miniature movie theater. This week's column takes on a half-dozen more, names my favorites, and concludes with a chart detailing which phones fit which stands.

Continue reading Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2

Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessoriesaccessoryperipheralsreserve powerReservePowerross rubinRossRubinstandstand offStandOffstandsSat, 04 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/29/switched-on-devices-designed-to-disrupt/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/29/switched-on-devices-designed-to-disrupt/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/29/switched-on-devices-designed-to-disrupt/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Industry conferences that include competitions among scores of startups generally don't look too kindly upon companies producing hardware. Nonetheless, there were quite a few physical products shown off this week at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York. These were either the main offering of companies or complements to their service offering, and judging by their demo platform of choice, the iPhone appears to be a leading agent of disruption -- the companies introducing hardware used Apple's handset to do everything from avoiding stress to measuring its biological impact. Switched On will introduce four such products after the break.

Continue reading Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt

Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessoriesApplecolumnDisruptDotgetaroundiOSiPhoneKogetoLarkLark UpLarkUppanoramapanoramicperipheralsross rubinRossRubinSHL TelemedicineShlTelemedicineSmartHeartswitched onSwitchedOnTechCrunch DisruptTechcrunchDisruptSun, 29 May 2011 21:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 1]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/28/reserve-power-stand-off-part-1/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/28/reserve-power-stand-off-part-1/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/28/reserve-power-stand-off-part-1/#commentsRoss Rubin contributes Reserve Power, a column focused on personal perspectives and products.

With handset screens getting larger and applications such as streaming primetime shows and video chat becoming more prevalent, it's not surprising that some handsets such as the HTC Evo 4G include a built-in kickstand. Most phones, though, suffer from LifeCall commercial syndrome -- when they've fallen, they can't get up. To offer some assistance, a whole cottage industry of pocketable products - many with inventive designs -- have appeared to let you enjoy your handset's screen without your hands in the way. But how universal are they?

I tested a variety of popular and unusually-shaped handsets -- including the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, Droid 2, Droid X, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch, Palm Pre, HP Veer, Samsung Captivate and the monstrous Samsung Infuse -- finding, for example, that some phones fit in some stands only when their physical keyboards were extended. Surprised at how well a few of the stands held up, I even tried them with a few tablets, including the BlackBerry PlayBook, Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom. This column will introduce the first six devices after the break, while the next Reserve Power will discuss several more, conclude with my favorites, and link to a spreadsheet detailing which devices and stands paired appropriately with one another.

Continue reading Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 1

Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessoriesaccessorycolumnperipheralreserve powerReservePowerross rubinRossRubinstandstandsSat, 28 May 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Chrome alone]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/15/switched-on-chrome-alone/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/15/switched-on-chrome-alone/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/15/switched-on-chrome-alone/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.


About a year after the debut of the first Android handset, Switched On discussed the threat that Chrome OS posed to Android. To reprise it briefly: Like chief rivals Apple and Microsoft, Google has two operating systems trying to bridge the rift between consumer electronics and traditional computing, but Chrome is different than Mac OS and Windows in an exceptionally important way.

Rather than trying to refine the traditional software experience (as Apple has done with the Mac App Store and other iOS-inspired developments in the queue) or move that experience forward to tablets (as Microsoft is doing with Windows), Chrome OS is not looking to carry forward any legacy beyond the browser.

Unlike with Mac OS vs. iOS or Windows vs. Windows Phone, the battle isn't over which apps make sense, but rather the irreconcilable difference around whether apps to begin with. This makes Google's suggestion that the two operating systems might merge at some point less credible, and sent a mixed message to developers about whether to focus their efforts on apps or the web. At Google I/O 2011, however, the company clarified its position.

Continue reading Switched On: Chrome alone

Switched On: Chrome alone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AndroidApplebrowserChromeChrome OSChromeOscolumnGoogleiOSMac OS XMacOsXMicrosoftoperating systemoperating systemsOperatingSystemOperatingSystemsOS XOsXRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnWindowsWindows PhoneWindowsPhoneSun, 15 May 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: RIM's shot]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/08/switched-on-rims-shot/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/08/switched-on-rims-shot/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/08/switched-on-rims-shot/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Much like their home countries, Apple and RIM share much in common, but contrast in important ways. Both companies are among the few that produce their own software for their cellular handsets. Apple, a personal computing pioneer, sees market expansion in smartphones. RIM, a smartphone pioneer, sees market expansion in mobile computing. Looking at the tablets on offer, Apple has been just as adamant in decrying a 7-inch display as RIM has been defending it, the latter saying that it sought to create an ultramobile device with the PlayBook.

Apple designs products for consumers that have relevance for enterprises. RIM designs products for enterprises that have relevance for consumers. This has also been evident with the PlayBook, which has taken heat for its lack of native e-mail and calendaring options. RIM consciously put these on the back burner because it wanted to appease CIOs concerned about data theft, even though it meant a less appealing launch product for consumers. Another parallel: RIM has suffered as AT&T delays in supporting Bridge, just as Apple struggled with AT&T supporting tethering on the iPhone.

Continue reading Switched On: RIM's shot

Switched On: RIM's shot originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AppleBlackBerrycolumniPadiPhoneMicrosoftPirates of Silicon ValleyPiratesOfSiliconValleyQNXRIMross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOnTATSun, 08 May 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: A legacy from the Flip side]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/24/switched-on-a-legacy-from-the-flip-side/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/24/switched-on-a-legacy-from-the-flip-side/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/24/switched-on-a-legacy-from-the-flip-side/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Last week's Switched On discussed some of the challenges the Flip camcorder faced trying to grow in the marketplace, an effort abruptly scuttled by an indifferent Cisco. But while Kodak, Sony and others are now poised to fill the Flip void, no competitor exactly matched Flip's combination of simplicity and sharing. With point and shoot cameras, camcorders, traditional MP3 players and standalone GPS units in decline, the jury remains out on how long portable electronics can fight the smartphone, but Flip's success taught the industry some valuable lessons that may have relevance going forward.

Continue reading Switched On: A legacy from the Flip side

Switched On: A legacy from the Flip side originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>camcordercamcorderscameracamerasCiscocolumneveryday videoEverydayVideoFlipFlip VideoFlipVideonichepoint and shootPointAndShootPure DigitalPureDigitalRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnvideoSun, 24 Apr 2011 20:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Flip-flops]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/switched-on-flip-flops/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/switched-on-flip-flops/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/switched-on-flip-flops/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

This week's announcement that Cisco is shuttering its Flip Video business was but the latest twist in the history of the market share-leading device. The Flip got its start after its creator, Pure Digital, modified its original disposable camcorder to be reusable after hackers showed it could be done. And its success continued to defy convention that the product would resonate against a slew of digital cameras and increasingly competent smartphones that could shoot competitive -- and even high definition -- video.

The Flip also soared above the market share of companies with far stronger brands such as Sony and Kodak, although the latter made gains on a string of hits, including the 1080p-shooting Zi8 and waterproof PlaySport. It even fought back an initial foray from Apple's iPod nano and was still holding its own after the debut of the latest iPod touch, which took the HD video capture feature from the iPhone and made it available without a contract. Yes, the Flip hung tough. That's why its cancellation says volumes about Cisco, the company that acquired it for some $590 million in stock.

Cisco needed to show growth with a consumer product line that could not be easily augmented with acquisitions and that derived little connection with the mother brand -- even less than Linksys, the company's networking line. Cisco certainly tried. But the Flip group made a few false moves that stuck out like a pop-out USB connector, and with little of that spring-loaded joy.

Continue reading Switched On: Flip-flops

Switched On: Flip-flops originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bloggie TouchBloggieTouchcamcorderCiscocolumnFlipFlip Slide HDFlip SlideHDFlip VideoFlipShareFlipShareTVFlipSlideHdFlipVideoKodakPlayTouchpocket camcorderPocketCamcorderPure DigitalPureDigitalRoss RubinRossRubinSlideHDSonySwitched OnSwitchedOnSun, 17 Apr 2011 20:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Pen again]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/10/switched-on-pen-again/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/10/switched-on-pen-again/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/10/switched-on-pen-again/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.


Last week's Switched On discussed how some next wave notions from a decade ago were trying to reinvent themselves. Here's one more. Surging smartphone vendor HTC is seeking to bring back an input method that many wrote off long ago with its forthcoming Flyer tablet and EVO View 4G comrade-in-arms: the stylus.

A fixture of early Palm and Psion PDAs, Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile handsets, slim, compact styli were once the most popular thing to slip down a well since Timmy. Then, users would poke the cheap, simple sticks at similarly inexpensive resistive touchscreens. After the debut of tablet PCs, though, more companies started to use active digitizer systems like the one inside the Flyer. Active pens offer more precision, which can help with tasks such as handwriting recognition, and support "hovering" above a screen, the functional equivalent of a mouseover. On the other hand, they are also thicker, more expensive, and need to be charged. (Update: as some have pointed out in comments, Wacom's tablets generate tiny electromagnetic fields that power active digitization, and don't require the pen to store electricity itself.) And, of course, just like passive styli, active pens take up space and can be misplaced.

The 2004 debut of the Nintendo DS -- the ancestor of the just-released 3DS -- marked the beginning of what has become the last mass-market consumer electronics product series to integrate stylus input. The rising popularity of capacitive touch screens and multitouch have replaced styli with fingers as the main user interface elements. Instead of using a precise point for tasks such as placing an insertion point in text, we now expand the text dynamically to accommodate our oily instruments. On-screen buttons have also grown, as have the screens themselves, all in the name of losing a contrivance.

Continue reading Switched On: Pen again

Switched On: Pen again originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ASUScapacitivecolumnCourierDigital ScribeDigitalScribeDSEee PadEee TransformerEeePadEeeTransformerhandwritingHTCMicrosoft ResearchMicrosoftResearchN-trigNintendoNintendo DSNintendoDspalmpalm pilotPalmPilotPDAPsionRoss RubinRossRubinScribestyliistylusSwitched OnSwitchedOntouchscreenSun, 10 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Techonciliation]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/03/switched-on-techonciliation/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/03/switched-on-techonciliation/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/03/switched-on-techonciliation/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
"Don't throw the past away. You might need it some rainy day."

-Peter Allen, from the song "Everything Old Is New Again"
During the late '90s and early '00s, the hype bubble grew large about a number of ideas that never reached critical mass. WebTV was going to democratize the Internet, but it devolved into a market niche after being acquired by Microsoft. WiFi providers such as MobileStar and later Cometa Networks hoped to build vast WiFi networks that would compete with cellular plans. Those bubbles popped back in the day, but curiously, companies are now willing to pump some energy back into them. The question is whether they are in any better position to float this time around.

Continue reading Switched On: Techonciliation

Switched On: Techonciliation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>802.11BoingocinematicalcolumnGoogle TVGoogleTvMobileStarMSN TVMsnTvRoss RubinRossRubinSamsungswitched onSwitchedOnVizioweb tvwebtvWi-FiWi-Fi AllianceWi-fiAllianceWiFiSun, 03 Apr 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: A screen too far]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/13/switched-on-a-screen-too-far/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/13/switched-on-a-screen-too-far/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/13/switched-on-a-screen-too-far/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

This January, Vizio became the second major TV manufacturer to announce its support for Google TV at CES 2011. Samsung and LG also rallied behind the idea of "smart TV," with the former announcing results of a "Free the TV" competition designed to encourage television app development. After years of serving mostly as a display for other development platforms such as video game consoles and TiVo, it seems the TV is ready to serve as a connected platform of its own, not wholly unlike the PC and smartphone.

However, there are two things standing in the way of the television as a platform to lead interactivity in the home -- a lack of access to the core video assets, and the separation of user interface from display.

Continue reading Switched On: A screen too far

Switched On: A screen too far originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnconnected tvConnectedTvRoss RubinRossRubinsmart tvSmartTvswitched onSwitchedOntelevisiontvvizioSun, 13 Mar 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Padded Windows]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/06/switched-on-padded-windows/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/06/switched-on-padded-windows/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/06/switched-on-padded-windows/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

At the launch of the new iPad - superior for video chat, group presentations, and cutting cake -- Apple didn't miss a few opportunities to rub salt in the open air vents of Microsoft's tablet efforts. Apple noted that sales of the iPad have exceeded those of every other tablet PC ever sold, and that Microsoft (along with other competitors) were chasing doomed strategies that extended outmoded models.

Microsoft has been clear that it will continue to use its "desktop" operating system - Windows - rather than its mobile operating system - the device-specifying Windows Phone 7 - as its operating system for tablets. Considering the critical importance of an intuitive touchscreen UI on tablet -- where Windows Phone 7 excels and desktop Windows has struggled -- this seems risky on its face. But it is important to remember from Microsoft's perspective that the question is not whether Windows is the best choice for tablets but whether it is a better choice for Microsoft than Windows Phone. While the company faces an uphill battle regardless of which OS it chooses, its flagship could be the better answer for several reasons.

Continue reading Switched On: Padded Windows

Switched On: Padded Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ApplecolumniOSMacMicrosoftoperating systemOperatingSystemOSOS XOsXPCRoss RubinRossRubinstrategySwitched OnSwitchedOntablettablet pcTabletPctabletsWindowsWindows 8Windows Phone 7Windows8WindowsPhone7Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Back from the Mac]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/27/switched-on-back-from-the-mac/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/27/switched-on-back-from-the-mac/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/27/switched-on-back-from-the-mac/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Last week's Switched On discussed Nokia's quest to help Microsoft create a third mobile ecosystem alongside those of Apple and Google. That word - ecosystem - has clearly passed into the pantheon of buzzwords, leveraging many synergies from purpose-built paradigms. And yet, building and maintaining ecosystems is something few companies really understand. True technology ecosystems are more than just successful platforms or throwing many products together simply because they are owned by the same company. They are characterized by strategically implemented nurturing.

One concept that Apple seems to have adapted from natural ecosystems is the concept of the water cycle you probably learned about in grade school. Apple turns up the heat on the life-sustaining water of innovation that passes between the well-grounded Mac market and the soaring growth of the iOS market. Apple alluded to this cycle in its Back to the Mac event. After inheriting many technologies from Mac OS X, iOS began offering Mac OS X launch screens, full-screen apps, app resuming, and document autosaving. This week's announcements, though, show that the cycle may soon be heading again in the other direction as Apple showed off two Mac technologies that may well wind up strengthening the iOS ecosystem.

Continue reading Switched On: Back from the Mac

Switched On: Back from the Mac originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AirDropApplecolumndataecosystemecosystemsinterconnectiOSLight PeakLightPeakOS XOsXross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOnThunderboltThunderbolt IOThunderboltIoSun, 27 Feb 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Nokia's Windows of opportunity]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/20/switched-on-nokias-windows-of-opportunity/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/20/switched-on-nokias-windows-of-opportunity/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/20/switched-on-nokias-windows-of-opportunity/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Perhaps it bore repeating for the shock value to sink in, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop missed nary an opportunity to defend his company's choice of Windows Phone as its future smartphone foundation. Nokia, he said, was making "a big bet" on Microsoft and vice versa. However, Windows Phone is only one leg of Nokia's strategy moving forward. Its "next billion" initiative is tied to handsets in which Nokia and Microsoft interests do not meet. And Nokia's third task, creating or planning for the next disruption, will keep the company tethered to the MeeGo operating system.

Indeed, the Wall Street Journal's behind-the-scenes look at how the Microsoft-Nokia alliance came to be, revealed how close it came to not being at all. Nokia seriously considered Android as the operating system of choice for its smartphones, and was only persuaded differently by a big check and an exceptional flexibility to make changes to the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Because, for all the attention around Nokia's selection of Windows Phone, it ultimately neither guarantees Nokia's success nor dooms it to failure in the US smartphone market. Here's what will:

Continue reading Switched On: Nokia's Windows of opportunity

Switched On: Nokia's Windows of opportunity originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnMicrosoftNokiaRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnWindowsSun, 20 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Iconic trends meet ironic ends]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/13/switched-on-iconic-trends-meet-ironic-ends/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/13/switched-on-iconic-trends-meet-ironic-ends/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/13/switched-on-iconic-trends-meet-ironic-ends/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

This week saw significant and contrasting twists for the legacies of two operating systems that had their roots in the heyday of the PDA. HP revealed that it is killing off the Palm brand, and Nokia announced that -- while it would continue to "harvest" less capable versions of the Symbian operating system on its basic handsets -- it would shift away from the operating system in its smartphones in favor of Windows Phone 7. In some ways, the demise of the Palm brand and the loss of Symbian's last major supporter at Microsoft's hands represent the end of an era.

Continue reading Switched On: Iconic trends meet ironic ends

Switched On: Iconic trends meet ironic ends originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnHPMicrosoftNokiaPalmPDARoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnSymbianSun, 13 Feb 2011 20:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/switched-on-a-suite-segment-for-playstation-games/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/switched-on-a-suite-segment-for-playstation-games/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/switched-on-a-suite-segment-for-playstation-games/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

One thing that has set Sony apart from its home console rivals has been the extended lifecycles of its hardware. Riding the momentum of a massive install base, both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 each kept selling strong nearly a decade after their debut, and years after their respective successors were introduced. In fact, as late as 2009, Audiovox began offering a PS2 integrated into an aftermarket ovehead car video system with a 10" screen. Sony could pursue this strategy in home consoles because the PS2 was the runaway unit volume leader of its generation. Not so with the PSP.

When Sony introduced the PlayStation Portable, it entered a portable console market with fierce, entrenched competition from the incumbent Nintendo, and the powerful widescreen handheld was outsold by the Nintendo DS and its later derivatives. Sony couldn't attain the market share it needed to steamroll existing competition.

With Sony's announcements this week, however, the PlayStation purveyors seem to have found a way to take their one-two punch on the road with a strategy that takes the PSP and segments its evolution.

Continue reading Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games

Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnngpPlayStationPlayStation 2PlayStation SuitePlaystation2PlaystationSuitePSonePSXross rubinRossRubinSonyswitched onSwitchedOnSat, 29 Jan 2011 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: When gadgets talk in their sleep]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/23/switched-on-when-gadgets-talk-in-their-sleep/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/23/switched-on-when-gadgets-talk-in-their-sleep/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/23/switched-on-when-gadgets-talk-in-their-sleep/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The Nintendo 3DS stands to democratize stereoscopy in a way society hasn't experienced since the View-Master craze, by offering 3D hardware more affordable than the current crop of televisions and PCs, and without requiring special glasses to see images pop out of the handheld's screen. But when it comes to innovation, the 3DS could represent a two-way street, for even as its 3D screen is focused on enhancing the handheld gaming experience, its "Pass" network technologies -- SpotPass and particularly StreetPass -- could have broader implications for the way we discover the world around us.

Continue reading Switched On: When gadgets talk in their sleep

Switched On: When gadgets talk in their sleep originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3D3DSad-hocad-hoc networkingAd-hocNetworkingAdHoccolumnconnectivitynetworkingNintendonintendo 3DSNintendo3dsRoss RubinRossRubinsleep modeSleepModeSpot PassSpotPassstereoscopicstereoscopic 3DStereoscopic3dSwitched OnSwitchedOnwirelessSun, 23 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Making the call on Windows Phone 7]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/15/switched-on-making-the-call-on-windows-phone-7/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/15/switched-on-making-the-call-on-windows-phone-7/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/15/switched-on-making-the-call-on-windows-phone-7/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

CES 2011 saw the debut of what could be the biggest challenge to the Wintel dominance of personal computing since Windows 95 cemented its position. The combination of the Android operating system on ARM processors -- ARMdroid if you will -- grabbed most of the attention in the emerging tablet category on products such as devices such as the Motorola Xoom and LG G-Slate. But it was also clear that manufacturers -- unconstrained by Cupertinian notions of what operating system is best suited to what kind of device -- are willing to take the combination in new directions that come much closer to the notebook form factor. A clear example of this was the ASUS Eee Pad Slider. If having the tablet thunder stolen from Microsoft wasn't enough to make the company uncomfortable, clearly encroaching designs like this were.

And so, at Steve Ballmer's keynote, the company announced that the next version of Windows will support not only x86 offerings from Intel and AMD - themselves moving closer to ARM-like system-on-chips - but ARM designs from companies such as Qualcomm and NVIDIA as well. Microsoft noted that the new chip support was requested by its partners, implying that PC companies want to take advantage of the long battery life and thin form factors enabled by ARM architectures, but also bring along Windows' broad driver and software support. Microsoft clearly considers the tablet another PC, albeit one that Windows' hardware and user interface layer needs to support better. However, in striking back at Android evolution, Microsoft risks collateral damage to its own mobile OS. Can Windows Phone 7 co-exist with a ARM-based version of the real thing?

Continue reading Switched On: Making the call on Windows Phone 7

Switched On: Making the call on Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AndroidAppleARMArmdroidASUSGoogleLGMicrosoftMotorolaNVIDIAross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOnUIuser interfaceUserInterfaceWindowsWindows 8Windows Phone 7Windows8WindowsPhone7WintelWP7x86Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: The 2010 Switchies]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/01/switched-on-the-2010-switchies/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/01/switched-on-the-2010-switchies/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/01/switched-on-the-2010-switchies/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
It's that special time of year between the post-holiday sales and the pre-CES hype that presents an opportunity to consider some of the most innovative devices of the year. Switched On is proud to present the Saluting Wares Improving Technology's Contribution to Humanity awards, also known as The Switchies. This year marks the fifth annual Switchies, which are decided based on a rigorous examination of the opinion of me, and do not reflect the opinion of Engadget or its editors. For that latter honor, nominees will need to win an Engadget Award. Let's roll out the red carpet then.

Continue reading Switched On: The 2010 Switchies

Switched On: The 2010 Switchies originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOnswitchiesthe switchiesTheSwitchiesSat, 01 Jan 2011 19:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Acer's Iconic Keyboard]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/28/switched-on-acers-iconic-keyboard/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/28/switched-on-acers-iconic-keyboard/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/28/switched-on-acers-iconic-keyboard/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

When Acer announced a slate of new devices at a New York press conference last week, the overarching message was simple -- keyboards are as done as a Thanksgiving turkey. The company introduced an array of tablets, most of which were running Android, with sizes ranging from five- to ten-inches each. That's almost as broad a lineup as Archos, which has dipped down to what most would consider digital audio player turf with a three-inch tablet (tablette?) and a precursor to what is sure to be a merciless barrage of tablets on the slate for CES. The single manifestation of a physical QWERTY text entry device was a keyboard dock designed for a 10-inch tablet running Windows.

But as much as Acer's tablet lineup seems poised to flounder in the coming sea of similarity, its Iconia laptop stood out, eschewing a keyboard for a second 14-inch touchscreen to match the main display. Unlike the dual 14-inch hinged Kno device discussed in columns prior, this one is clearly designed to be used in a landscape orientation, and unlike the 7-inch Toshiba Libretto, the Iconia is not being positioned as some kind of limited-edition experiment. If anything, Acer signaled that it would be the first in a series of products that would unfold over the next several years.

Continue reading Switched On: Acer's Iconic Keyboard

Switched On: Acer's Iconic Keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AcerAcer IconiaAcerIconiacolumniconialiberttoross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOntoshiba librettotoshiba libretto w100toshiba libretto w105ToshibaLibrettoToshibaLibrettoW100ToshibaLibrettoW105Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: The iPadification of Mac OS]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/07/switched-on-the-ipadification-of-mac-os/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/07/switched-on-the-ipadification-of-mac-os/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/07/switched-on-the-ipadification-of-mac-os/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The title of Apple's recent Back to the Mac event turned out to have multiple meanings. The first was heralding a shift of Apple's event focus to the product that was once synonymous with the company. But it also had a more literal connotation, that traits associated both with iPad software and hardware would now be finding their way back to the Apple's computers. But the impact of this round trip could have different implications for hardware and software.

Apple's new MacBook Air was cited as taking on traits associated with the iPad such as thinness, flash storage, longer battery life, and instant on. The new MacBook Air also dispenses with an optical drive, but so did the previous MacBook Air, and indeed so do nearly all netbooks and quite a few other "thin and light" notebook PCs. Most would agree that the new hardware choices produce desirable traits in an ultramobile notebook.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPadification of Mac OS

Switched On: The iPadification of Mac OS originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>back to the macBackToTheMaccolumcolumncolumnslionmac os xmac os x lionmacbook airMacbookAirMacOsXMacOsXLionross rubinRossRubinswitched onSwitchedOnSun, 07 Nov 2010 12:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Growing up Geek: Ross Rubin]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/growing-up-geek-ross-rubin/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/growing-up-geek-ross-rubin/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/growing-up-geek-ross-rubin/#commentsWelcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our long-time Switched On columnist Ross Rubin.
In the wide-collared world of the 1970s, it wasn't yet clear whether the future of interactive technology would rest in the hands of the PC or video game companies (I attribute this confusion to excessive exposure to ABBA combined with the well-documented brain-melting effects of Three's Company plots). But most of my early exposure to electronics certainly came from the latter camp. We had the original Pong game and the triangular, holster-housing Telstar Arcade. I stared with mouth agape as my adult cousin received an Atari 2600 for his birthday (no fair!). For my birthday a few years later, my parents got me an Intellivision.

The flame wars between Intellivision and Atari were the Mac vs. PC arguments of their day, and George Plimpton was the closest thing the Intellivision fans had to Steve Jobs. I would take pictures of the screen for some Astrosmash contest Mattel Electronics ran as well, to obtain different rainbow-adorned badges from Activision for games like Kaboom!, Freeway! and River Raid! In any case, video game consoles weren't the only extra box that graced our TVs. One day, a beige box showed up with a simple switch that transitioned between the broadcast channels we received and a new service delivered via microwave transmission. It was called Home Box Office.

Continue reading Growing up Geek: Ross Rubin

Growing up Geek: Ross Rubin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>altchildrenfeaturefeaturedfeaturesgeeksgrowing up geekgrowingupgeekkidsnerdsross rubinRossRubinFri, 03 Sep 2010 14:25:00 EST<![CDATA[US consumers purchase $55 million worth of 3D TVs and Blu-ray players, despite the glasses]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/us-consumers-purchase-55-million-worth-of-3d-tvs-and-blu-ray-pl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/us-consumers-purchase-55-million-worth-of-3d-tvs-and-blu-ray-pl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/us-consumers-purchase-55-million-worth-of-3d-tvs-and-blu-ray-pl/#comments It's early days yet, but NPD claims that revenue from US sales of 3D TVs and standalone 3D-capable Blu-ray players has exceeded $55 million in the first three months of availability. Mind you, this steady growth comes despite the absence of some major players. While that number might sound big, it's tiny in comparison to the total number of TVs sold each month in the US and, according to our friend Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD, sales are expected to remain small throughout 2010. Regarding those much maligned 3D glasses, only 10% of those surveyed by NPD cited "looking silly" as a main concern. Instead, the biggest concern was not having enough glasses on hand for everyone looking at the set. A concern driven by cost, undoubtedly, and a dearth of survey participants from New York's trendy Lower East Side.

Disclaimer: NPD's Ross Rubin is a contributor to Engadget.

Continue reading US consumers purchase $55 million worth of 3D TVs and Blu-ray players, despite the glasses

US consumers purchase $55 million worth of 3D TVs and Blu-ray players, despite the glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The original Asus Eee PC took on the challenging North American market for a small notebook PC and was so successful that it created a new wave of product that's turned the PC business upside down. And although Asus has since released over a dozen permutations of its original Eee PC notebook as well as several desktop models both with and without integrated monitors, its next big test will be a keyboard.

A top-slice reincarnation of the pioneering Commodore 64, the Eee Keyboard has a full complement of ports and can run Windows, but its two standout features are a 5" LCD that replaces the numeric keyboard and wireless high-definition output to a television. Much like the original Eee PC, it is unlikely that the Eee Keyboard would be anyone's primary PC. In fact, Asus's keyboard-footprint computer will have to overcome a number the same problems PCs and other information products like WebTV have had in the living room. But Asus may be hitting the market at a critical inflection point -- for a few reasons.

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Switched On: A keyboard PC seeks to Eee-peat success originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columncolumnsEee keyboardEeeKeyboardfeaturedfeaturesliving roomLivingRoomnetbookPCross rubinRossRubinset-topswitched onSwitchedOnTue, 29 Sep 2009 17:34:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Toshiba and the Blu-ray Trojan Horse]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/19/switched-on-toshiba-and-the-blu-ray-trojan-horse/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/19/switched-on-toshiba-and-the-blu-ray-trojan-horse/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/19/switched-on-toshiba-and-the-blu-ray-trojan-horse/#commentsRoss Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The Blu-ray Disc Association has positioned Toshiba joining its membership as the epilogue in the company's once pitched battle for high-definition disc domination. It could, however, merely be a new chapter in the broader story of home entertainment as it uses the players not only to fill some product-line gaps but takes advantage of their connectivity to move to a future beyond any disc standard.

Back when it was tending to its fresh format war wounds, Toshiba did not always see this potential. After it exited-- and effectively ended-- the HD DVD market, the March 3, 2008 edition of The Wall Street Journal ran an interview with Toshiba chief executive Atsutoshi Nishida that detailed ambitious plans for avoiding Blu-ray. On the low end, Toshiba would improve DVD playback to seek near-parity with Blu-ray quality at lower cost. That idea was productized in Toshiba's XDE DVD players and televisions. XDE was met with mixed reviews, however, and the plummeting prices of Blu-ray hardware last holiday season cut its viability short.

Flirting with connectivity on the high-end, Nishida noted that it was now possible to bridge PCs and televisions better, and that he wanted to put "even more energy" into video downloading. He may have been considering Toshiba's Qosmio multimedia powerhouse notebooks as an engine for driving high-definition content to the television. However, the long-lingering idea of bridging the PC and television, while indeed becoming easier technologically, still simply isn't worth the effort for most consumers. At CES 2009 as Sony, Sharp, Panasonic, Samsung, LG and Vizio showed off connected televisions, Toshiba didn't announce any broadband content partnerships for its premium Regza line of TVs.

Continue reading Switched On: Toshiba and the Blu-ray Trojan Horse

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Switched On: Toshiba and the Blu-ray Trojan Horse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Atsutoshi NishidaAtsutoshiNishidaBlu-raycolumncolumnsconnected tvConnectedTvfeaturedfeaturesross rubinRossRubinsrtswitched onswitchedontelevisionstoshibaTVXDEWed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: The iPad could succeed Apple TV]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/04/switched-on-the-ipad-could-succeed-apple-tv/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/04/switched-on-the-ipad-could-succeed-apple-tv/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/04/switched-on-the-ipad-could-succeed-apple-tv/#comments Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Much of the speculation around an "iPad" -- a rumored 10" Apple tablet -- has portrayed it as an Amazon Kindle-killer or a large-screen iPod touch, but there's a strong case that such a product could effectively serve as a replacement for - or a compelling complement to -- Apple's non-platform sleeper Apple TV.

Apple faces a dilemma in moving iPhone apps to a larger screen size or higher resolution. It must either scale them (ugly), ask developers to create a large-screen version (cumbersome), or run them in a window (which would beg some level of multitasking at least beyond what the iPhone OS does today). Not only that, but a 10" device is simply inconvenient for some of the iPhone's apps. Just try focusing on the road with a 10" navigation screen suctioned to your windshield.

The base version of Apple TV is 40 GB, just a bit over the 32 GB that has been offered on the iPod touch and iPhone. By the end of the year, a 64 GB flash product could be well within reach for a flash-based iPad. That would easily store many consumers' photo libraries and a Netflix queue's worth of movies. Rumors about the "Cocktail" music experience notwithstanding, the tablet would make an excellent platform for watching and displaying video and photos. a 10" screen would be a fine fit for 720p video and the small size would mask artifacts that could show up on the 50" television. But the iPad would be even more versatile than Apple TV.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPad could succeed Apple TV

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Switched On: The iPad could succeed Apple TV originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Apple tabletApple TVAppleTabletAppleTvcolumnsfeatureFeaturedfeaturesiPadross rubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnTue, 04 Aug 2009 17:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: With Google, this is not your father's OS war]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/08/switched-on-with-google-this-is-not-your-fathers-os-war/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/08/switched-on-with-google-this-is-not-your-fathers-os-war/http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/08/switched-on-with-google-this-is-not-your-fathers-os-war/#commentsRoss Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Google's incursions into software -- particularly in strategic markets for Microsoft, are like an Earth-bound asteroid. Observers see it coming for a long time, and fear its impact will be devastating when it finally arrives. So far, though, Google's major software forays have been anything but cataclysmic, and Microsoft hasn't even had to send Bruce Willis into space to stop them.

On one hand -- as I discussed in a recent Switched On column that argued why Android was not the right choice for netbooks -- the mobile operating system continues to have a lot of potential to reshape the smartphone OS competitive landscape. On the other hand, while Chrome is a fine browser, Microsoft, Apple and Mozilla all have their counterparts, and certainly Firefox and Safari at least give Google's browser a run for its money in terms of speed, privacy and user interface. Chrome's impact has been blunted because the PC is already an open platform.

Enter Chrome OS, which will be available on ARM and Intel processors. For the high-volume Intel PC market, Chrome OS will have to take on Windows, but Chrome OS is very different than other Windows competitors such as the Mac OS, Ubuntu or the OS/2 of yore, in that Google does not seem focused on creating platform-exclusive applications. In some ways, Chrome is more of a competitor to Silverlight than to Windows, as Silverlight is Microsoft's cross-platform application foundation. Of course, Windows is Microsoft's home field, and Chrome OS will be Google's.

Continue reading Switched On: With Google, this is not your father's OS war

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Switched On: With Google, this is not your father's OS war originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chromeChrome OSChromeOscolumncolumnseditorialfeaturedfeaturesGooglegoogle chromegoogle chrome osGoogleChromeGoogleChromeOsnetbooksoperating systemoperating systemsOperatingSystemOperatingSystemsross rubinRossRubinsoftwareswitched onSwitchedOnWed, 08 Jul 2009 13:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Dark side of the Zune]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/05/switched-on-dark-side-of-the-zune/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/05/switched-on-dark-side-of-the-zune/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/05/switched-on-dark-side-of-the-zune/#commentsRoss Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

When the iPod touch swiped away the small display, aversion to WiFi and telltale scroll wheel of previous iPods. Microsoft was left with Zune models squarely targeted at Apple's state of an older art. This fall, though, Microsoft will close the features gap and, in some ways, leapfrog the iPod touch with the Zune HD, which takes advantage of the startling contrast of OLED screen technology and will be one of the first (and likely the most popular) portable HD radio receivers. But no DNA test is needed to see that the Zune HD is inspired by the iPod touch, with a single button below the screen, side-mounted volume controls, and a power button at the top.

Now that the Zune HD will have a hardware exterior that looks like a credible challenger to at least today's iPod touch, what about filling the flash memory in its interior? Here, Microsoft has a number of opportunities that could improve the Zune's standing if successful, or leave it in the iPod's shadow if not.

Continue reading Switched On: Dark side of the Zune

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Switched On: Dark side of the Zune originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a year in which the OLPC foundation turned attention on its child-optimized OLPC stateside and Palm's backbone curved as it contracted Foleosis, an unlikely ultraportable rose to capture enthusiast praise.

Arriving late and at twice its original touted price of $199, the Asus Eee has succeeded in the muscle-driven PC market with modest screen size, processor, RAM and storage specifications and solid (but not outstanding) battery life. Its name and design philosophy take unabashed cues from Nintendo's Wii. And like its inspiration, it's been a budget-conscious blockbuster.

Reuters reports that Asus is now shipping 20,000 of the 2 lb. mobile computing quasi-appliances every month. The Taiwanese manufacturer has been so encouraged that it has raised its global forecast to five million Eees by the end of 2008 as it aims at becoming the fifth largest notebook PC company by 2010. Those are the kind of numbers that could make the top four take notice, setting off a frenzy of melodramatic pound-shedding to rival The Biggest Loser.

Continue reading Switched On: Following in the Eee's wide footprints

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Switched On: Following in the Eee's wide footprints originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Asus EEEAsusEeefeaturesRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnWed, 19 Dec 2007 22:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Vudu starts on its to-dos]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/11/switched-on-vudu-starts-on-its-to-dos/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/11/switched-on-vudu-starts-on-its-to-dos/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/11/switched-on-vudu-starts-on-its-to-dos/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.


Imagine a history in which broadcast television programming was not sent directly to television sets. Rather, it was sent to another, more expensive device in the home with a smaller screen. If you paid $40 per month, you could access at best only about 10 percent of the shows you really wanted. These shows were available on demand, but under ideal conditions needed a few minutes before you can start watching them. Furthermore, to watch them in the comfort of your living room, you had to rely on a slow, unreliable connection between the box and the TV set.

This bleak situation characterized the state of much broadband video at the debut of Vudu earlier this year. Vudu's $400 glossy black box sports a curvy perimeter that is a bit taller than an Apple TV. It delivers instant access to about 5,000 movies (with capacity for double that amount) using a slick and sophisticated combination of local caching and distributed computing. Rent or buy the movie and it starts playing. Vudu just introduced its first high-definition movies -- the Bourne movie trilogy, offering the high-definition media-free version of The Bourne Ultimatum for sale for the first time.

The physical version of that movie is available exclusively on HD-DVD, but with Vudu you don't have to worry about the alliances of studios or video rental chains. The company has struck deals with all major studios and the Vudu device is hundreds of dollars less than dual-format high-definition disc players from Samsung and LG Electronics. On the other hand, nearly all of its content is more of a quality match for the dirt-cheap and universally-supported standard DVD player today.

Continue reading Switched On: Vudu starts on its to-dos

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Switched On: Vudu starts on its to-dos originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuresRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnvuduTue, 11 Dec 2007 17:33:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 2)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/switched-on-rainforest-fire-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/switched-on-rainforest-fire-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/03/switched-on-rainforest-fire-part-2/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.


Last week''s Switched On discussed some of the similarities and differences between Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader. Where the Kindle really sets itself apart, though, is more in the buying of books than reading them..

The sleek Sony reader costs $100 less than the Kindle and relies on PC software for book purchases.The model for the Sony Connect integrated software and bookstore was the pairing of the iPod and iTunes, a system that has worked so well for Apple's digital music players that the Cupertino-based company made it the basis for all media downloads with an inherently connected device, the iPhone. But just as Apple brought the sensibility of desktop software to cell phones, Amazon has brought its legacy of convenient online retail experience to bear on its reader.

As with its Web-based store, Amazon has stressed the value of a broad selection of content. This is critical in a device that features access to books (or commercial video), since consumers don't have easy and legal access to this content the way they did with CDs for the iPod. The Kindle store has about 90 percent of the New York Times' top 100 bestsellers, and over 90,000 titles in all. This dwarfs the selection available in Sony Connect bookstore. And the purchase process is as smooth as a paperback book cover. Amazon has been such an innovator in online commerce that Apple licensed its patent for one-click purchases on its Web-based store and in the iTunes store.

Continue reading Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 2)

Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 2) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AmazonfeaturesKindleRoss RubinRossRubinSony ReaderSonyReaderSwitched OnSwitchedOnMon, 03 Dec 2007 15:18:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 1)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/switched-on-rainforest-fire-part-1/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/switched-on-rainforest-fire-part-1/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/27/switched-on-rainforest-fire-part-1/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

Naming a product "Kindle" might be a bit unusual for a company named after a giant waterway. Did Amazon have visions of Fahrenheit 451 for its electronic book reader? Perhaps, at $399, the product is aimed at those who have the kind of paper to burn that is legal tender for all debts, public or private and not involving iPhones.

Regardless, Kindle is far from the epilogue for paper-based books and won't materially alter the course of Amazon's river of reading revenue for some time. On the other hand, the grapheme-strewn box of Kindle notes the word can also mean to "inspire" or "stir up." And the oddly-shaped tablet's wireless commerce capabilities herald big changes for several related industries.

Kindle, as Sony recording artist and pop chart fugitive Billy Joel might have said in 1989, didn't start the fire. Amazon has become the second player to enter the embryonic electronic ink-based book reader market in the U.S. after Sony's introduction of its Switchie award-winning Reader. Both products offer excellent readability using electronic ink display technology and are tied to stores controlled by their manufacturers.

Continue reading Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 1)

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Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 1) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazone-booksfeatureskindleRoss RubinRossRubinSony ReaderSonyReaderSwitched OnSwitchedOnTue, 27 Nov 2007 14:48:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Channeling Chumby (Part 1)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/07/switched-on-channeling-chumby-part-1/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/07/switched-on-channeling-chumby-part-1/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/07/switched-on-channeling-chumby-part-1/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.


For nearly as long as the Internet has had value to average consumers, companies have sought ways to deliver its infotainment more conveniently. Early efforts such as WebTV, the hackable Netpliance i-Opener, and the MSN Internet Companion suffered from slow dial-up access and unsavory subscription plans. Portable wireless efforts using inexpensive distribution networks such as the paging network (Ambient Dashbard) or FM radio (MSN Direct watches) have struggled with information presentation interfaces and breadth of content.

While most of these devices have been marketplace failures, the quest clearly continues. Much of the attention yesterday around Android and the unveiling of the Open Handset Alliance revolves around getting a better Internet experience into the mobile phone, the clear payoff for Google.

Chumby, the open source, Wi-Fi-savvy, touch screen-enabled, accelerometer-equipped bit bag represented by what appears to be a mutant octopus, has been tossed onto this treacherous trail of Internet appliances. Chumby resembles a portable GPS device such as the TomTom Go or Garmin StreetPilot C330, but with a rear that hasn't been to the gym in a couple of years. Instead of displaying directions, Chumby can display Flash Lite widgets from scores of content providers. These include, for example, movies from FimCritic.com, weather updates from The Weather Channel, "news" from MTV, and even SAT vocabulary words from fear profiteer Kaplan.

Continue reading Switched On: Channeling Chumby (Part 1)

Switched On: Channeling Chumby (Part 1) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ChumbyfeaturesRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnWed, 07 Nov 2007 15:42:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: Channeling Chumby (Part 2)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/06/switched-on-channeling-chumby-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/06/switched-on-channeling-chumby-part-2/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/06/switched-on-channeling-chumby-part-2/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

Continued from last week's Switched On.

The Chumby control panel is activated by pressing a subcutaneous button and provides options for manually browsing widgets and keeping one on the screen or switching among channels. Most widgets have limited configuration options but you can add multiple widgets to a channel to compensate for this. For example, one horoscope widget can be set to Libra while another is set to Aries. Currently, only one channel can be active at a time. However, it can be time-consuming to get to a particular widget, particularly if it's not in the active channel.

The control panel also includes a "Night" button" which puts Chumby on its lower brightness setting and turns the screen black except for a very faint clock. Chumby has a built-in dual alarm clock application and can play iPod playlists if the digital music player is connected to one of its two rear-mounted USB ports. This charges the iPod, unlike the line-in jacks of many "MP3-compatible" alarm clocks. Chumby would benefit from a way to specify certain widgets as favorites. Holding down its top-mounted button could bring up a thumbnail grid that would streamline the process.

Clearly, the value of Chumby is dependent on its content. The company offers the versatile widget player for $179; probably the closest comparable product is a midrange iPod dock with which it compares favorably in terms of value. Chumby also costs $120 less than Nabaztag, the Wi-Fi-enabled digital rabbit that features light patterns and moving ears..However, there's little on the network today that would be considered critical information and even the Chumby Web site concedes that there's nothing on the network that isn't accessible via a PC. Chumby Industries notes that it is still selling mostly to opt-in "insiders" and will expand its content offerings next year beyond today's slide shows while beefing up the content offerings.

Continue reading Switched On: Channeling Chumby (Part 2)

Switched On: Channeling Chumby (Part 2) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ChumbyfeaturesRoss RubinRossRubinSwitched OnSwitchedOnTue, 06 Nov 2007 12:09:00 EST<![CDATA[Switched On: TakeTV is SanDisk's flash drive-in]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/30/switched-on-taketv-is-sandisks-flash-drive-in/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/30/switched-on-taketv-is-sandisks-flash-drive-in/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/30/switched-on-taketv-is-sandisks-flash-drive-in/#commentsEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment. This week's marks the column's third anniversary:
Entering the market with smaller dimensions and a lower price than television bridge products such as Apple TV and the Xbox 360, SanDisk's TakeTV is unconcerned with DHCP, WPA, SSIDs and several alphabetical dalliances of IEEE 802.11. In fact, it eschews any kind of direct home network connection, returning to that tried-and-trod transfer known as "sneakernet." Using portable physical media as a liaison between devices goes back at least to the early days of the floppy disk and was revived a few years ago by the USB flash drive.

Indeed, the latter is at a basic level the portable component of Take TV, a large, flat flash drive with four or eight gigabytes of SanDisk's trusted flash technology. The flash drive component docks into a video adapter that connects to TVs, but can take advantage only of an S-Video connection at best. When not connected to the television, it also snaps into its own minimalist remote crowned with an oversized Play button.

By design, using TakeTV is very similar to using a flash drive; simply drag and drop video files onto the flash drive component. TakeTV is a certified DivX device and also supports XVID and MPEG-4. Videos shot with a Flip Video camcorder played back perfectly. However, the popular Windows and Mac formats of WMV and H.264 are not yet supported; Apple's Leopard instructional video was not recognized.

Continue reading Switched On: TakeTV is SanDisk's flash drive-in

Switched On: TakeTV is SanDisk's flash drive-in originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apple tvAppleTvfeaturesross rubinRossRubinsandiskSwitched onSwitchedOntaketvusbtvTue, 30 Oct 2007 14:15:00 EST