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Daily Mac App: Memo
I've written about quite a few note-taking apps in my pursuit of the best one. Most shy away from the Post-It note paradigm because OS X comes with Stickies, a pretty decent representation of the repositionable note, but Memo takes it head-on. Memo is basically Stickies with iCloud and password support. Create a new little yellow note, write yourself a reminder, text snippet or love-letter to your Mac, and move it to where you need it. Like many other programs, the note sits behind the active window and can be easily resized to accommodate more text. The notes can be password protected by clicking the little padlock icon, which keeps prying eyes out of your business if you're letting someone else use your Mac. You can change the font used, size of text and all the standard paragraph formatting you might expect. Unfortunately you can't change the colour of the note itself -- it's yellow for offline memos, blue for cloud memos and green for private memos, which are secured with a password. The blue "Cloud Memos" sync with iCloud to any Mac or iDevice with your iCloud ID and the free Memo app for the iPhone or iPad. If you're looking for a Stickies replacement for just text, Memo has a couple of advantages that might make it worth looking at. It's free, available in the Mac App Store and has free companion apps for the iPhone and iPad.
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 17, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of October 17, 2011: The HTC Rezound (codenamed the Vigor) started showing up in Cellebrite systems, just another indicator of its impending arrival -- and likely name. [Droid-Life] AT&T's current lineup of Windows Phones, such as the Samsung Focus, LG Quantum and HTC Surround, are now showing up as EOL -- End-of-life -- likely in preparation for the trio of incoming devices we saw earlier this week. [WMPowerUser] Cricket added another ZTE feature phone to its lineup this week, called the Memo (shown above). It's got a full QWERTY keyboard and is available for $100. [Cnet] Google Maps for Android was the beneficiary of yet another update. This time, version 5.11 makes one critical feature change: it offers different-sized maps for phones with different screen resolutions. Thus, if you have a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, you're not forced to download a map designed for a 4.3-inch qHD display, saving space on your phone in the process. [MobileBurn] Vodafone 360, launched in 2009 as a LiMo-based cloud synchronization and backup service, will be officially closed by the end of the year. The carrier stopped developing handsets that took advantage of the plan last year, so it really was a matter of time before this happened. [Wall Street Journal] Toshiba Mobile Display announced this week that it's working on a new type of mobile display optimized for wide-angle viewing. Dubbed the "Soludina," it'll be shown off at next week's FPD International in Japan. [Nikkei] Sprint announced a new plan called Wireless CapTel that's designed for those who are hard of hearing. The service, which can be used on Android devices, allows the caller to view conversations in real time as word-for-word captions on their phone's screen. [BusinessWire] Telus will officially launch the 4G Samsung Galaxy S II X on October 28th, according to its website. [Unwired View]
HP TouchPad price drop goes permanent (update: confirmed)
Pricing has long been one of our biggest concerns with HP's webOS-tastic TouchPad. So, when the company offered up a $100 discount on the slate, things certainly seemed headed in the right direction. The drop was only tease, sadly, and the price went right back to normal levels two days later. Apparently consumers liked the price cut as well, and HP, in turn, liked that, moving the company to implement the reduction on a more permanent basis. This is according to a reported internal memo from the company highlighting the decision to permanently price the 16GB and 32GB WiFi versions of the tablet at $399 and $499 "effective immediately." Update: We just heard back from an HP representative, who confirmed the pricing is indeed legit and in fact is in effect on HP's site. [Thanks all]
ASUS Eee Pad MeMO to come with glassesless 3D IPS display (update: video!)
Remember how we speculated that the final Eee Pad MeMO may come with a 3D display, courtesy of its teaser? Turns out we were right after all, as ASUS' Jonney Shih has just confirmed a glassesless 3D, 1280 x 800 IPS display for this 7-inch Honeycomb slate, which is now dubbed Eee Pad MeMO 3D. We're also told that the accompanying MeMIC Bluetooth headset will be thrown into the box, though we're still waiting on dates and prices. Until then check out the gallery below and hear our first second third impressions in the video after the break. %Gallery-124761%
ASUS Eee Pad MeMO and MeMic hands-on (video)
Though we played with ASUS' Android-powered Eee Pad MeMO back at CES, the company spilled a couple new secrets here at CeBIT today: first, it'll be running Honeycomb by the time it launches in June -- current prototypes are running Gingerbread -- and second, certain MeMO bundles will include the MeMic, a separate Bluetooth handset that lets you take calls without holding a giant tablet to your face (it's pronounced "me-mike," by the way). Interestingly, the MeMic features a translucent LCD that we're told will make it to the production units; unfortunately, the units on display were running very early alpha software that had "given out" by the time we arrived at the booth, so we couldn't get a sense of viewability. In addition to making calls, the MeMic will let you stream music, control media, and perform a few other basic tasks that make sense for a tablet remote. On the Honeycomb side, ASUS tells us the delay is simple -- as it stands, a commercial-grade Honeycomb port doesn't exist for Qualcomm hardware, which is what the Eee Pad MeMO is running (the Xoom -- the only released Honeycomb tablet so far -- is running Tegra 2). The company's confident that it'll be ready by the time the MeMO's slated for release in June, however. Follow the break for video! %Gallery-117746%
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop rallies troops in brutally honest 'burning platform' memo? (update: it's real!)
"The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable." This is just one of many, many pieces of stark knowledge allegedly dropped by recently-appointed Nokia CEO Stephen Elop -- formerly of Microsoft -- in a roughly 1,300-word memo to the company's employees that we've received today. Though we can't vouch for the authenticity, it's notable that the memo contains a portion previously reported by The Register and heard by sources at TechCrunch Europe, so it would seem that we've simply received the whole thing. Elop goes on to suggest that his company is "standing on a burning platform" and must "change [its] behavior," suggesting that the adoption of a non-homegrown platform like Android or Windows Phone 7 is a more realistic possibility than ever before. Update: We've now heard from multiple trusted sources that this memo is indeed real, and was posted to an internal Nokia employee system. That makes it one of the most exciting and interesting CEO memos we've ever seen -- and we're absolutely dying to see how Elop plans to shake things up. Overall, the communique laments Nokia's lateral movement while Apple and Google have started eating its lunch on the mid- and high end and Shenzhen-based off brands have started to cut into its traditional dominance in emerging markets, leaving Espoo with virtually zero market leadership. It's a stark revelation that seems befitting of a man brought in from the outside -- he's neither Finnish, nor raised in the Nokia system -- and he promises to start revealing the way forward this Friday at the company's Capital Markets Day event where grandiose plans have been unveiled in the past. Whether the memo is legitimate or not, the frequency and intensity of big-time rumors floating around Nokia ahead of Capital Markets Day (and MWC next week) have been pretty wild: we've heard they'll be announcing a partnership with Microsoft possibly revolving around Windows Phone 7, that a boatload of executives would be shown the door, and that Elop would start looking to Nokia's new Silicon Valley campus as its center of gravity, with execs and senior management expected to start spending more time outside Finland. We'll know far, far more about what's going on over in Espoo in the next few days, but in the meantime, here are some choice quotes from the memo: "...there is intense heat coming from our competitors, more rapidly than we ever expected. Apple disrupted the market by redefining the smartphone and attracting developers to a closed, but very powerful ecosystem." "They changed the game, and today, Apple owns the high-end range." "Google has become a gravitational force, drawing much of the industry's innovation to its core." "We have some brilliant sources of innovation inside Nokia, but we are not bringing it to market fast enough. We thought MeeGo would be a platform for winning high-end smartphones. However, at this rate, by the end of 2011, we might have only one MeeGo product in the market." "...Symbian is proving to be an increasingly difficult environment in which to develop to meet the continuously expanding consumer requirements..." "Our competitors aren't taking our market share with devices; they are taking our market share with an entire ecosystem." "We poured gasoline on our own burning platform. I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times. We had a series of misses. We haven't been delivering innovation fast enough. We're not collaborating internally. Nokia, our platform is burning." Read the full memo after the break.
ASUS tablet lineup preview: Slider, Transformer, MeMO, and Slate EP121 go wild (with video!)
We just played with ASUS whole new tablet lineup, which is truly impressive not only in scope, but also for the fact that ASUS didn't just pick a few capacitive screen sizes and call it a day. Each of the four tablets (three Android-based Eee Pads and one Windows-based Eee Slate) has its own "twist" on what's come to seem traditional in modern day tablets, while also maintaining significant hardware and screen quality. We're not crazy about the 'MyWave' ASUS software skin on its Android models, but they at least seem serious about providing UI and apps for the entire experience -- they're not kidding around, is what we're saying. We've got a ton of pictures and impressions, so follow after the break as we break it all down! Update: We've added video as well. You'd be a fool not to click.
ASUS Eee Pad MeMO tablet takes a pen out of the Courier's book
Yeah, we're in full-on tablet overload mode, but that doesn't mean there isn't any room for innovation. In fact, ASUS's Eee Pad MeMO is surprisingly fresh in its take on this already-so-worn subject. The 7-inch, 1024 x 600 tablet runs Android 3.0 (which doesn't exist yet, but we won't tell ASUS if you won't), with a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8260 processor under the hood and dual cameras (1.2 megapixel front, 5 megapixel rear with LED flash). That's all very nice, but the highlight is a capacitive stylus and two included apps to make the best use of it. Media Note is a scrapbook / note taking application, while Painter allows you to use the stylus as a pressure-sensitive drawing instrument. They're probably nothing too special just now, but the prospect of pressure-sensitivity on a handheld tablet is alluring, particularly for the artists among us that thought they'd left the iPad's fingerpainting methods back in kindergarten. MeMO's other standout might not win it so many fans, but it's still worth noting. ASUS calls the device "a perfect blend of tablet and smartphone," and uses a stereo Bluetooth headset dubbed the "MeMic" media phone extender to make the experience a bit more phone-like. We'll reserve judgement for when we see more than a render of MeMic in action. No word on price or release for the MeMO right now, but hopefully we'll know more soon. Until then we can keep our eyes set on Honeycomb's supposed March timeframe -- a river of tablets will carry us there.Update: ASUS says the Eee Pad MeMO will start at $499, and debut in June.%Gallery-112441%%Gallery-112542%
Intel says no MeeGo phones until first half of 2011, Nokia just shrugs
While Nokia remains mum about the status of its first MeeGo handset, Doug Fisher, Vice President of Intel's Software and Solutions Group and General Manager of Systems Software Division, is being decidedly more talkative. According to an interview published by Forbes, MeeGo phones and tablets are in the works but we'll have to wait until 2011 to handle them. Specifically, Fisher says that MeeGo based cellphones won't debut until the first half of next year, possibly at a large industry trade show. Hmm, could that be Mobile World Congress by any chance, scheduled for February 2011? It's also worth noting that Fisher's timeline coincides with plans for a MeeGo 1.2 release tentatively scheduled for sometime around the end of April. This is of course disappointing -- especially after seeing Nokia's amazing looking MeeGo-based N9 (pictured) in that supposed leak. Though it's hardly unexpected given all the executive level changes at Nokia. Remember, back in December Nokia had promised to "deliver" a Maemo 6 powered mobile computer in the second half of 2010. That promise was then seemingly reiterated when the joint MeeGo initiative was announced in February (MeeGo being the union of Maemo and Intel's Moblin). It was during that announcement that Intel and Nokia promised to "launch" MeeGo devices from Nokia and other manufactures in 2010. We took that to mean retail delivery, not just a product announcement. In fact, we've already seen the first MeeGo tablet -- the WeTab -- ship in Germany. And Fisher says that other MeeGo devices like netbooks and Internet Connected TVs are still on track to ship this year. Regardless of the semantics, we just want to see Nokia get this right, especially as MeeGo looks to be Nokia's big play to win back the US market. If they don't get this right, well, Nokia might not get a second chance -- not with Android rapidly maturing, Windows Phone 7 set to launch, and HP getting ready to put its muscle behind webOS. Let's give Skillman some time to perfect the user experience, shall we?
Line 6 peripheral brings MIDI and iPhone closer than you ever expected
It's no amplifier substitute, but Line 6 has come up with something potentially even better for the budding songwriter buried deep within your rhythmic veins. The MIDI Mobilizer for iPhone and iPod touch is an app-based peripheral that lets you record, playback, store, and transfer MIDI sequences and parameters using the MIDI Memo Recorder software. While it does sound convenient in theory, we'll have to wait until we can try the dongle out for ourselves. At this point in time, price of the Mobilizer is TBD and the release date is the ever-vague Spring 2010. As for the recorder app, it's currently available on iTunes free of charge, although it's more or less useless without the complementary hardware. For now, you'll just have to settle with living vicariously through the promo video, after the break. [Thanks, Fred]
IGN layoffs hit all divisions of media giant
Joystiq has obtained an internal IGN memo sent by company president Roy Bahat announcing layoffs at the media site today. We currently have no accurate estimate for the number of people let go today, nor do we know if any divisions have been shut down entirely. Bahat states in the memo, "We're doing this to reduce costs. While we've been doing well -- we're profitable and our audience continues to grow -- we're still feeling the effects of the economy, and we need to make sure we can invest where there is opportunity. Over the past couple of years, we have been focusing IGN on areas where we can not only grow, but be best in the world: serving gamers online, and serving advertisers looking to reach men. To do that successfully, we have to be as efficient as possible in our core businesses. The difficult actions we're taking today get us to where we need to be." We will continue to update this story as we learn more. If you're an IGN employee, you're of course welcome to contact us with any information you'd like to share. Find Bahat's full memo to employees after the break.
Rumor: Internal Best Buy memo confirms Wii price cut this Sunday [update]
We've seen ads promoting the Wii's heretofore unconfirmed new $199 price point from Target and Toys R Us -- however, Engadget recently got its hands on the crown jewel of retailer news leakage: A purported internal Best Buy memo which confirms the discount will go into effect this coming Sunday, September 27. The memo requests that blue-shirted employees keep the cut under wraps until Nintendo formally announces the new price this coming Friday. You guys are doing a great job of that so far. We'll keep an ear to the ground this Friday for an announcement from the Big N.Update: Kotaku is reporting that SCEA has directly referenced the new $199 price point for Wii during a presentation to Best Buy employees in Kansas City, Missouri. Can we please put a fork in this one?
Blockbuster memo: 40GB PS3 getting small price drop this weekend
Officially, the 40GB model has been discontinued by Sony, replaced by the new 80GB Core machines. However, a leaked Blockbuster memo sent to Kotaku shows that remaining 40GB systems will be getting a price cut this weekend. The system, which includes a Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray disc, will be available for $360 -- that's a savings of $40. (Perhaps Sony should've reconsidered the price of the system to something that doesn't evoke their primary competitor?)Sony has been adamant about keeping the current price of the PS3 in an attempt to recover from the costly launch of the system. However, with Microsoft's aggressive cuts working their magic (in America and Japan), Sony may want to reconsider their position.[Thanks, Trevor!]
Gamestop stops selling product replacement plans on Xbox 360s
A leaked memo from Gamestop shows that the company intends to stop selling "product replacement plans" on the Xbox 360, probably a reaction to the high failure rate of the console and its notorious "red rings of death" issue. We're still seeing the option for PRP included on Xbox 360s purchased from Gamestop's online store, so this isn't a full confirmation just yet. Ultimately, with the warranty extended to three years for consoles exhibiting this problem, the lack of a PRP probably won't be a significant issue for most gamers: just one less reason to shop at Gamestop.[Thanks, Alvin]
Memo: spring cleaning
Hey everybody, just a little memo since we're doing some spring cleaning around Engadget. We just wanted to take a moment to respond to everyone who's written asking about a few reoccurring matters, so here ya go! Oh, feel free to sound off in comments if we forgot anything.Breaking news and featured stories feedsWe know not everyone can keep up with the flow of news most days, which is why we have two channels for keeping an eye on the most important stuff: breaking news, and featured content. The breaking / featured boxes are off to the right in the center column and are updated instantly when new stories are added, but if you're addicted to RSS like we are, you can get the feeds as well. Subscribe to breaking news here, and to featured stories here.Linking in comments (spam and blogspam)Linking your site in your comment (especially as a signature): don't do it. It looks like spam, but even if you're not a real spammer, the real spammers have started doing it too, and now it's ALL getting reported as spam. Besides, ultimately our comments are a place to discuss, not promote yourself/site. (Likewise, don't use TinyURL or URL obfuscation tools -- those can also get you banned.)So the bottom lined: people caught URL spamming will be banned. Sorry, we just have to take a hard line, way too many people are complaining about the amount of URL spam showing up in comments.US vs. worldwide contests We don't expect everyone to realize this, but we're often prevented from making our contests open to entrants outside the country. If we had our druthers every contest would be available to everyone of any age, but due to legal restrictions or requests by the company whose gadgets we're giving away, that's not always the case. So we'll continue keeping as many contests as possible open to international readers -- and you'll stop freaking out when it's US-only, ok? Popups or way annoying ads Believe it or not, our editorial team has as little to do with our advertisers as possible. In other words, when you see an ad you find annoying or that pops up, that's not our doing. Honestly, most of the time it's an ad network that slips something in... but please let us know! Send us a nice, non-accusatory message in our comment form, and if you can, get the URL of the ad link, ad images, and any other data you can collect so we can wipe that mother clean off the site. Thanks!Number of comments increased to 50Oh yeah, and after much prodding of the admins, we've increased the number of comments per post-page to 50. Finally!
iPhone Q&A for AT&T employees
Engadget Mobile's got a nice little internal Q&A for AT&T employees about the you-know-what. We won't spoil the surprise, head on over and check it out.
qStart speaks up to keep you on the right (left) side of the road
Those Thanko crazies finally have a worthy opponent in the much-coveted "oh man, that is totally useless but I want one" category. Go Concepts might not be as USB friendly or warmth oriented, but we're pretty sure the cigarette lighter-based qStart, which voices a warning every time you start your car to drive on the correct side of the road, along with other friendly "keep alert!" reminders along the way, ranks up there with Thanko's finest. Designed for international travelers, or for those UK residents who've subconsciously wised up to the fact that driving on the left is completely ghetto, the qStart features a small selector to set which side of the road you're supposed to be driving on, and warns you accordingly. Of course, if you set it wrong you're completely screwed, but at least you'll know you've blown £9.99 ($20 US) on Doing the Right Thing.[Via Crave]
Microsoft claims successful patch against FairUse4WM 1.2
The last time we heard from Microsoft on the topic of FairUse4WM, the infamous PlaysForSure stripping application, it was a red-alert memo after the release of version 1.2 pledging to patch that version as they had the first. Now, it occurs to us that once the floodgates have been opened there might not be any going back, but read the latest memo for yourself -- we're reserving judgment, namely because we're not DRM (or anti-DRM) developers.
