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Google Pixel Slate owners are reporting serious memory failures
The issue was first discovered in 2019 but it seems like more users are now seeing their devices fail.
Our readers tell us what’s wrong with the Google Pixel Slate
Though he's well-known around the Engadget office for being a Chromebook enthusiast, deputy managing editor Nathan Ingraham found little to recommend about Google's Pixel Slate. It would appear, given the responses from our user reviews page, that many real-world owners feel the same. Despite having a lovely 12.3-inch display, a comfortable keyboard folio and solid battery life, the Pixel Slate floundered on the software side: Its poor implementation of Android apps ultimately earned it an embarrassing score of 69. However, the Pixel Slate owners in our user reviews section were a bit more forgiving, giving it an average of 77.
Spotify gets into podcasting with three music-themed shows
Spotify dipped its toes into podcasting in 2015 by adding pre-existing programs to its lineup. Now it's getting into content creation and rolling out its own shows. The company is launching three original podcasts, and it says that's just the start.
Wacom's latest smartpads marry pen and paper with digital notes
Despite the many high-tech devices on display here at IFA, sometimes all you want is a pen and paper to jot down notes or draw a quick sketch. Still, there's no reason not to marry ink and tech, which is the driving idea behind Wacom's latest line of smartpads that let you capture handwritten notes in digital form. The company's done this before with the Bamboo Spark, but the latest Slate and Folio options provide different styles for the discerning dead tree aficionado.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S2 is slimmer, smaller and squarer
Samsung has revealed its new 8-inch and 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab S2 models, and they're considerably different from last year. As revealed by a leak yesterday, it shrunk both of last year's models and killed the widescreen (16 x 10) aspect ratio, instead giving them an iPad-like 4 x 3 format. The company said that'll help "recreate the viewing experience of browsing through traditional print media," and make it easier to read e-books and web pages. On the other hand, less of the screen is now available for watching movies, particularly since both Galaxy Tab S2 models have also taken a step down in resolution from QuadHD to 2,048 x 1,536.
Adobe's new iPad app helps with presentations, newsletters and more
Squarespace offers folks who are less web savvy the ability to create a decent-looking website in minutes. Adobe is looking to do something similar for reports, newsletters and other web content with Slate. The new iPad app offers preset layouts with a library of fonts, colors and animations that allow students, teachers and business folks the tools needed to easily develop a polished presentation. As you might expect, you're able to pull in images to complete the project, overlaying titles and captions as needed. The pre-built themes are designed to look good on the desktop and mobile devices, with buttons that'll let eager readers do things like donate or register. Published work ends up as a sharable web link, text message, email or embedded on a blog or website.
Apple's iPhone business is as big as McDonald's and Coke combined
It's no secret that the bulk of Apple's revenue comes from the iPhone. During the company's most recent quarter, for example, 53% of its $37.4 billion in quarterly revenue came from its iconic smartphone. For as much as people like to talk about Apple having peaked, the company has a penchant for printing out boatloads of money quarter after quarter. While companies like Amazon can generate nearly $20 billion in quarterly revenue and still lose money, Apple's margins and overall profits remain extremely healthy. Critics have long demanded Apple lower prices to increase market share, but Apple has stayed the course, realizing that market share for the sake of market share alone is a fool's errand. Although the iPhone doesn't account for the majority of smartphone sales total, it can generate cold hard cash like nothing else. Providing some further context as to just how important and profitable the iPhone is to Apple, Jordan Weissmann of Slate put together this handy chart which compares how the iPhone, as its own business, compares to a number of blue chip companies. Revenue wise, we see that Apple's iPhone business makes as much money as McDonalds and Coca-Cola combined. All the more impressive is that Apple's margins over the last 10 years have remained relatively and incredibly steady. Very stable long-term gross margins. Painful contrast to rest of the industry. pic.twitter.com/XMNu7sM9xI - Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) July 22, 2014
The Daily Grind: Does griefing in MMOs reflect a sinister personality?
A recent psychology paper picked up by Slate suggests that maybe there's more to bad behavior on the internet than previously thought. Researchers asked study participants to evaluate what they found most fun about commenting on the internet, then gave those same participants a personality test to determine their levels of sadism, narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism -- the "dark tetrad" of antisocial personality traits. (One of the agree/disagree statements on the personality exam? "I enjoy griefing other players in multiplayer games.") The researchers found a significant correlation between those who flagged as sadists and those who claimed to enjoy trolling and expressed "sadistic glee at the distress of others." While the study focused on the 5% of participants who cause comment moderators the most grief on the internet, over here in MMOland I'm wondering whether this study would map equally well to griefers in video games since we might define griefing in a virtual world the same way: causing someone distress because it's pleasurable for the griefer. That guy who ganks your lowbie and corpse camps you for an hour might not be so socially well-adjusted in the real world after all, in spite of what griefer-apologists have been claiming all these years. What do you folks think? Does griefing in MMOs reflect a sinister personality? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
iFixit tears apart Apple's new iPad Air
Apple's new lighter and thinner full-sized iPad has only just embarked on its world tour and already the intrepid teardown specialists at iFixit have had the thing in pieces. So, what's the verdict? Like its older sibling, the iPad mini, the iPad Air didn't perform too well on the repairability scale, scoring two out of 10. To be fair, Apple has ensured that the LCD and front glass are separate components, aiding any future replacements, with LG supplying a thinner display for this particular model. However, while the two-cell battery isn't soldered tight, iFixit maintains that the liberal application of adhesive makes it one of its most "difficult battery removal procedures to date." With a combination of glue and sticky tape hindering access to the Air's internals, Apple ensures at-home repairs are less than ideal, but that won't affect your decision to purchase one, right?
HTC reportedly building an Android smartwatch that will be more than 'just a gimmick'
Bloomberg's gotten word from the perennial "people familiar with the matter" that HTC is building an Android-based smartwatch that's set for release in the latter half of 2014. While other features and a price have yet to be set in stone, the outlet's source says the timepiece will sport a camera. Just two days ago, HTC CEO Peter Chou revealed through a Financial Times report that the firm had worked on an intelligent watch with Microsoft, and noted that current high-tech wristwatches are just "gimmick" experiences. "It has to meet a need, otherwise if it's just a gimmick or concept, it's not for people's day-to-day lives," Chou told FT. "That is an opportunity for us." And if you were only expecting wrist-worn hardware from the outfit, chairwoman Cher Wang hinted that a tablet is in the pipeline as well. "When the [HTC] tablet comes out it will be something nice and disruptive," Wang said. Clearly, slates and futuristic tickers are filling the company's collective mind, and it looks like 2014 will bring more details (and hopefully its fair share of leaks, too).
Storyteller app for Windows Phone and Windows 8 appears in leaked screenshots
@evleaks is at it again. This time the prolific leaker has blasted out two screen grabs of an app called Storyteller, which made a Live Tile-cameo in the alleged screencap of a Nokia Bandit, an oversized Windows Phone 8 device. The app appears to be a Windows 8 and WP photo album that lets users sift through images by timeline, favorites and shared, or browse them on a map. A close look at the top right of the application meant for larger devices reveals a "My tablet" menu, suggesting it boasts integration with slates. Given that @evleaks mentions Bandit, Espoo's long-rumored Sirius pad and October 22nd event date, it's a safe bet that we'll see new hardware -- and at least one new app -- this fall.
Lenovo Miix 10 Windows 8 tablet now on sale, slated to ship on August 16th
Remember that "watered-down ThinkPad Tablet 2" we were able to ogle back in June? Eh, don't bother lying -- the Miix 10 name is hitting you as the freshest of the fresh, and honestly, there's no shame in that. Lenovo's latest Windows 8 slate is now officially featured on the company's site, with orders being accepted now and early shipments expected to commence on August 16th. For those curious, $600 nets you a 10.1-inch tablet, replete with a 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760 CPU, integrated graphics, 2GB of LPDDR2 memory, a 1,366 x 768 native resolution, 64GB of eMMC flash, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 1MP front-facing camera and a two-cell Li-Polymer battery. Interested? You can part ways with your credit card number right here.
The Great Gatsby: The Video Game offers hopeful 8-bit commentary
If F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a commentary on the American Dream, Slate's The Great Gatsby: The Video Game continues that narrative in the most straightforward, nihilistic manner. In short, you're on a boat and there's a green light at the end of the screen, mimicking the green light at the end of Daisy's dock in the novel. Largely, that light is regarded as representing hope. Using minimalist controls – right and left arrows on the keyboard – in The Great Gatsby: The Video Game, guide Gatsby across the rocky waters and to the green light. If you can. Spoilers: You can't. Pippin Barr would be so proud. This is not to be confused with the Great Gatsby NES-inspired game, the Baz Luhrmann movie coming out in May, or anything on Sparknotes.
Microsoft releases Surface RT and Pro updates, aims to fix WiFi issues again
Surface RT devices have already scored two updates that aim to fix problems with 'limited' WiFi connectivity, and now Microsoft is pushing out a third patch that aims to put its wireless troubles to rest. Redmond's fresh code also beefs up support for a "wide range" of access points and stomps out system crashes caused by some WiFi issues. As for Surface Pro, its own April update smoothes out Surface Type and Touch cover connectivity kinks, adds support for Japanese keyboards on North American hardware, stomps a bug that disables the WiFi driver when airplane mode is toggled and addresses an issue with touch navigation in the UEFI boot menu. Microsoft's remedy should get sucked down to your slate automatically, but you can grab it by hand through Windows Update as well.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with Sprint-friendly LTE visits FCC
Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 made a quick stop-over at the FCC with 4G for Verizon shortly before making its trip to Big Red official, and it now seems a Sprint variant has a similar itinerary. A Samsung slate bearing the model number SPH-P600 has just crossed Uncle Sam's inspection tables with support for Sprint's Band 25 LTE and HSPA connectivity over the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands. In addition, the expected WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 tag along with the hardware. Sprint and Samsung haven't announced anything about the tab arriving on the Now Network, but we suspect such news isn't far off with the hardware already sporting the FCC's stamp of approval.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 swoops by FCC with Verizon-friendly LTE
An LTE-equipped Galaxy Note 10.1 slipped through the FCC's doors last month, but it was missing 4G bands that would allow it to work with American carriers. Now, however, the FCC has rubber-stamped a model with Verizon-friendly LTE, which includes support for the firm's traditional Band 13, along with its fresh Band 4 (AWS) spectrum. In addition, the slate packs 3G connectivity and the expected support for Bluetooth and WiFi. Big Red and Samsung haven't made a peep regarding a release, but with one of the final regulatory hurdles cleared for US availability, we imagine that an official announcement isn't far off.
Baseline Modbook Pro gets its RAM, storage and screen sensitivity doubled, stays at $3,500
The first batch of Modbook Pros have yet to make their way to owners, but the base model is already getting a spec bump. The Macbook come tablet will have its RAM boosted from 4GB to 8GB and its solid state drive roughly doubled in capacity to 120GB. As for the Wacom pen digitizer on the slab, a total of 1,024 pressure levels will make it twice as sensitive than previously planned. What's the cause for the sudden volley of upgrades? Turns out the folks at Modbook Inc. managed to get a sweeter deal on parts from manufacturers and had the financial wiggle room to include better hardware. One thing that hasn't changed on the Modbook Pro, however, is its price: the tablet will still withdraw $3,500 from pockets. Those who've already pre-ordered one of the devices will get the upgrades at no additional cost when the slates ship later this month. Update: Reader ThorntonArt points out in the comments that the Modbook Pro doesn't sport a touch-sensitive screen, but one that's sensitive to pen input. We've clarified the post.
HP ElitePad 900 travels to the FCC, brings pros closer to Windows 8 tablet utopia
HP couldn't help but harsh the mellow of cutting-edge workers when it revealed the ElitePad 900 wouldn't ship until January. Still, there's less chance of any setbacks now that we know the FCC has rubber stamped the Windows 8 tablet. The version passing through the agency is a 3G model for mobile road warriors and touts the 850MHz, 1,700MHz and 1,900MHz bands we'd expect to for HSPA on AT&T, T-Mobile and Canadian networks. Few other surprises exist; we're mostly happy to know that NFC exists alongside dual-band 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. No, the approval won't be much consolation to the suits and ties wanting a tablet of their own as of yesterday, but it should be a relief to IT managers planning a much more creative use of the company budget in 2013.
Ubuntu lands on Nexus 7 slates with Canonical's one-click installer
If you'd rather not let your Nexus 7 live out its life as a Jelly Bean-toting device, Canonical's freshly minted Ubuntu Nexus 7 Desktop Installer can help. Instead of allowing Ubuntu to ride shotgun with Android, the installer requires unlocking the device's bootloader, which wipes the slate clean. Once the Nexus 7 is unlocked, started in fastboot mode and connected to an Ubuntu machine, the one-click installation software takes care of the rest. Roughly 10 to 15 minutes later, your tablet will be running full-blown Ubuntu. Since development is currently focused on getting the core of the desktop OS up and running, there's no tablet-specific Unity UI to see here. However, Raring Ringtail is set to flesh out the mobile experience with an emphasis on sensors, memory footprint and battery life, among other features. Those who regret ousting Google's confection-themed operating system can simply reload their device with stock Android. For the entire walk through, hit the first source link below. [Thanks, Keith]
8GB Nexus 7 no longer available at Google Play store
Google seems to have run out of the 8GB version of its Nexus 7 tablet. Sometime today, the $200 slate went from "In Stock" to "Coming Soon", with the Play store giving would-be purchasers the option to sign up for an email notification when it becomes available once again. Might this be a case of demand exceeding supply, or could the least capacious Nexus 7 be on the outs -- making way for a forthcoming 32GB version? No one outside of Mountain View can say for sure, but odds are favorable we'll find out at next week's Android event. Stay tuned. [Thanks, Jeffrey]
