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Toshiba promises cure for Thrive's sleep disorder 'early next week'
In the wee hours of the morning, a not-so-little green pheasant flapped through our open window and disturbed our dreams with an official message from Toshiba: the company has developed a fix for the Thrive tablet's sleep addiction and will release it "early next week" via the Service Station app. The red-faced birdie also told us that the update will improve the device's "multimedia playback capabilities," although it didn't tell us how. Good news, to be sure, but now we'll need an afternoon siesta to make up for it.
Amazon briefly pulls Cosmo Black Nintendo 3DS due to 'inventory issues,' reinstates it moments later
Here's a weird one. Earlier today, we heard (and confirmed) reports that the Cosmo Black Nintendo 3DS was unavailable for purchase directly through Amazon. We followed up with the company to get to the bottom of things, and were fed this explanation from a company spokesperson: "We received customer feedback that there may be an inventory issue with the Cosmo Black Nintendo 3DS. The integrity of the product is not under review. Customers are still able to purchase the Amazon.com offer of the Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS, however the Amazon.com offer of [the] black Nintendo 3DS has been removed until the inventory issue is resolved. There is no problem with the Cosmo Black Nintendo 3DS units themselves. This is an internal inventory problem that was brought to our attention from customer feedback and we are looking into it and will resolve as soon as possible." Turns out, "as soon as possible" meant "three minutes later." As of this very moment in time, the handheld is available and in stock over at the world's most recognized e-tailer, with the outfit confirming to us that sales "have been reinstated." At any rate, we suppose this serves to clarify one thing while bringing about a totally separate question -- there's nothing physically wrong with the 3DS so far as Amazon's concerned, but how on Earth is its inventory team reacting that quickly?
Toshiba Thrive experiencing sleep / wake / reboot issues? (updated)
Toshiba's Android-powered Thrive just started shipping to end users during the past couple of weeks, but already we're seeing an alarming amount of bug reports crop up over at the outfit's own site. Specifically, legions of users are suggesting that their Thrive is having a whale of a time coming out of Sleep mode without a full, hard reboot, and some are even suggesting that it'll turn on by its lonesome on occasion. Hard to say if this is something that could be remedied via a future firmware update, but here's hoping, right? Let us know if you're seeing the same troubles in comments below -- we haven't seen any of this in the handful of days we've been testing our own, but we'll be sure to report more thoroughly in our upcoming review. Update: We spoke too soon. Although our Thrive review unit behaved just fine at first, we, too, have since found that it's unable to wake from sleep without a hard reboot. In our case, it happened after charging the Thrive overnight, as opposed to letting it sit around unplugged. Since then, Toshiba has acknowledged the problem and promised a fix is on the way, though it's still unclear when, exactly, the company will pull through. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 now syncs with your Mac, updated Kies software to thank
You heard right -- Samsung's slimmest slate yet is now on speaking terms with OS X, well over a month after the first ones slipped out to developers at Google I/O. Oddly enough, it looks as if Android File Transfer is still stuck in yesteryear, with Samsung itself pushing out a revised build of Kies to enable Tab-to-Mac relations. If this discussion is relevant to your interests, the source links below will be as well.
Some Lenovo ThinkPad X220 owners report downthrottling, reduced performance
No matter how much time we spend with a laptop while we review it, there are some things that are just harder to gauge -- namely, what happens once you've owned the thing for a while and the Sandy Bridge-fueled honeymoon comes to an end. That couldn't be more true of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220, one of our favorite ultraportables at the moment. We're seeing assorted reports from folks whose machines keep downthrottling to 800MHz, even when they're plugged in, set to the maximum performance profile, and not overheating. The result, they say, is slower HDD and SSD performance and reduced random read / write speeds, among other pernicious side effects. Worse, the only reliable solution so far seems to be shutting down the system and performing a cold boot. (For some -- but not all -- disabling Intel Speedstep and / or CPU Power Management in the BIOS works, too.) Judging by the threads in Lenovo's user forum, the company is definitely aware of the problem, though it's unclear if it's found a fix yet. We've pinged Lenovo for comment and will let you know what we hear. In the meantime, how's your X220 treating you?
LG prepares to update Optimus 2X, banishes unexpected reboots to Never Never Land
LG is delivering good news for those affected by random reboots and shutdowns on the Optimus 2X. Today, the company reached out to Engadget and acknowledged the plight of its early adopters. Even better, the manufacturer wants everyone to know it will begin delivering updates in Europe this week, and expects North America to be close behind. In most situations, users will receive the firmware update over-the-air, but this will depend on your carrier and region. After all the hoopla, LG determined these troubles occur when the device is charging, the power button is pressed, or the phone is in standby -- which basically means whenever you reach for it. Let's hope this update filters down to G2x handsets as well. It would seem rather unkind to leave them in the cold, don't you think?
Sprint network is down in some areas, SMS and voice call services affected (updated)
Uh oh, according to the handful of tips we've received, it appears that Sprint is currently having some technical problems on its cellular network in some states. Specifically, customers aren't having much luck with sending text messages, while some are also not able to make voice calls. But don't worry, the carrier's certainly aware of this issue and is already working on a fix, so hang tight and let your fingers take a break -- we'll let you know when things are up and running again. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Here's a statement we got from Sprint: "We did have some disruption to Sprint SMS traffic earlier tonight, but it wasn't a complete disruption -- we lost partial capacity for about an hour. Engineers immediately began rerouting traffic and after about an hour things went back to normal. There is no significant voice disruption anywhere in the US except for a small part of our Sprint network in the Washington, DC area. That has since been resolved and had no relation to the SMS disruption."
Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition not seen in Android File Transfer, Windows usability is spotty
You know what's cool? Handing out 5,000 Android tablets to your most loyal developers at Google I/O. You know what's not cool? Handing out 5,000 Android tablets that can't have files loaded onto them. Believe or not, that's exactly what happened at this week's I/O conference, where hordes of developers were handed a Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition that cannot currently interface with OS X, and has a whale of a time doing so with Windows 7. During our initial preview of Music Beta, we noticed that our MacBook Pro (OS X 10.6) wouldn't actually recognize the tablet, even after installing Android File Transfer. Given that we didn't actually need that functionality for the purpose of said article, we threw it on the backburner. For those unaware, Android File Transfer is a small app that's required to transfer content between OS X and Android 3.0. Avid users of Froyo and Gingerbread may be appalled that any Honeycomb device they buy will require a piece of software to interface with it, but hey -- there it is. At any rate, it seems to us that the latest build of Android File Transfer doesn't include the device ID for Samsung's heretofore unreleased Tab 10.1; if you'll recall, the standard edition of this thing isn't slated to hit consumer hands until June 8th. Regardless of what tricks we tried (installing a Mac version of Kies Mini, for example), we couldn't get a single Apple in our stable to recognize the thing. In one instance, a Mac viewed the device as a "Samsung Modem" within the Networking pane -- that's as close as we could come to getting the two to mingle. AllThingsD's Ina Fried said her Tab 10.1 LE was merely recognized as a camera-like device within Aperture. Over on the Windows side, things are only marginally less awful. We've had a couple of Wintel boxes outright refuse to play nice with this "mysterious USB device," while others required multiple reboots and driver searchers to finally mount it as an external storage device -- and only with USB Debugging disabled. The upside is that those with patience (and a Windows 7 rig) can look forward to a single method of transfer, but it's certainly less than ideal. We're surmising that Google's cooking up a new version of Android File Transfer as we speak that'll take care of the compatibility issues, hopefully long before consumers start seeing these in early June. But for developers in the here and now? Stop wasting your afternoon trying to figure out why your Mac just won't cooperate, and give that Win7 system a little love. Update: After a bit of additional digging, we noticed that it's possible to access the Tab's file system from a Mac or Windows PC by using the Android SDK, putting the tablet in USB debugging mode, and running ddms. It's not the most convenient solution if you want to quickly and conveniently transfer some content to / from the device, but it should work until AFT sees an update. Alternatively, we're hearing that XNJB -- an older open source project originally built for Creative Nomads -- enables files to be transferred whenever it's in a good mood.
LG Optimus 2X is world's first dual-core phone necessitating an online petition
Early adopters of the Optimus 2X are rightfully proud to carry the distinction of owning the world's first dual-core smartphone, however, that badge of honor comes with a steep price. In LG's rush to be first, it delivered a unpolished operating system that hinders the speed and stability of the phone -- and we're now seeing user reports suggesting the troubles may go beyond software. Notably, the forum at xda-developers now exceeds 100 pages of comments describing blank, unresponsive screens, random reboots and exceedingly hot temperatures when recharging. While many owners are performing various forms of voodoo hoping to stave off the symptoms, the problems are intermittent, making fixes difficult to verify. Regardless, putting the phone in a paper bag and lighting candles isn't going to banish the ghost in this machine. In response to LG's silence, frustrated users have started an online petition to bring their plight to the public's eye. Here's a little boost to the cause -- if you're an affected owner, please add yourself to the list of names by following the source.
Samsung Galaxy S Gingerbread update pulled 'by Google,' needs a little more work
Come on, this is Samsung we're talking about here -- you didn't think a software update from Korea's leading smartphone maker would go without a hitch, did you? The Gingerbread build that made its way out to European Galaxy S handsets over the weekend has now been halted, on account of an unspecified issue that has been identified after release. Vodafone reports that it's Google who's actually responsible for temporarily suspending the Android 2.3 delivery over Kies, although the problem is apparently not universal -- Voda's Galaxy S devices are said to be unaffected, which is why the carrier's working hard to get things rolling again as soon as possible. Oh Samsung, when will it end? [Thanks, Jake]
Apple investigating 3G issues on some Verizon iPad 2s, software fix expected soon
Having trouble hooking up your iPad 2 to Verizon's 3G network? Turns out you're not alone, and thankfully, Apple's well aware of this. In a statement to All Things Digital, Cupertino said it's investigating this CDMA connectivity issue as reported by "a small number of iPad 2 customers," and word has it that a software patch will be available soon. Until then, personal hotspot is your friend, or you could just borrow some mobile WiFi from your actual friends -- protip: a smile goes a long way.
HTC's Thunderbolt beset with video capture woes, fix purportedly on the way
Uh oh, sounds like HTC's Thunderbolt has struck yet another stumbling block on its path to glory. Forums dedicated to the superphone are now rife with frustration of inconsistent audio capture when using its bundled video recorder, and apparently, the rally cry was vociferous enough to warrant a response from HTC itself. Users of first-gen technology are likely familiar with the line, but word is it's aware of the issue and working to release a software update to remedy the nasties. In the meantime, if uploading your macaw's cover of 'Friday' is a priority for you, don't go to crankytown just yet -- we hear there's a whole world of third-party cappers to explore.
Samsung reportedly installing keylogger software on laptops (update: it's a false-positive)
We'll start by saying that we've reached out to Samsung for a response here, but as of now, no reply has been given -- neither a confirmation nor a refusal of truth. Why bother mentioning that? If this here story proves true, Sammy could have a serious problem on its hands -- a problem that'll definitely start with a rash of negative PR, and a quandary that could very well end the outfit up in the courtroom. According to a report by Mohamed Hassan over at Network World, Samsung allegedly took the initiative to install a keylogger into his recently purchased R525 and R540 laptops. The app was noticed right away after a security scan on both systems, with StarLogger popping up with the c:\windows\SL directory. Where things really get strange is on the support line; reportedly, a supervisor informed Mr. Hassan (after an earlier denial) that the company did indeed install the software at the factory in order to "monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used." Unfortunately, it's difficult to say if this is a widespread issue, or if the tale is entirely correct, but we get the feeling that Samsung will have little choice but to respond in some form or fashion here shortly. Naturally, we'll keep you abreast of the situation -- meanwhile, you may want to reconsider that hate-filled comment you're about to bang out on your Samsung laptop, and instead, feast your eyes on the video just past the break. Update: Kudos to Samsung for hitting this head-on. An hour after we inquired for comment, a company spokesperson tossed over this official quote: "Samsung takes Mr. Hassan's claims very seriously. After learning of the original post this morning on NetworkWorld.com, we launched an internal investigation into this issue. We will provide further information as soon as it is available." Update 2: Samsung's official Korean language blog, Samsung Tomorrow, has a posted an update calling the findings false. According to Samsung, the confusion arose when the VIPRE security software mistakenly identified Microsoft's Slovene language folder ("SL") as Starlogger, which Sammy was able to recreate from an empty c:\windows\SL folder (see image above). So yeah, move along, it's much ado about nothing -- the R525 and R540 laptops are perfectly safe. Update 3: Even GFI Software has stepped up and confirmed the good news; furthermore, it'll be changing the way it structures things so as not to set off any more false-positives.
Skype 5 for Mac continues to frustrate -- how's it treating you?
It's rare that a new piece of software generates only positive feedback, but the world's most popular VoIP app has seemingly frustrated throngs of loyal Mac users, including a number of technologically savvy individuals within these very walls. A brilliant comparison of the old vs. new has emerged over at Ignore The Code (linked down below for your perusal), and it got us wondering -- are average consumers seeing this any differently? There's no question that Skype 5 for Mac looks a heck of a lot like the Windows build, but as the aforesaid article points out, it seems that the UI engineers lowered the standard of the OS X version rather than dragging the Windows variant up. What makes the new edition so difficult to swallow is just how ideal the prior model was -- now, it's a chore to spot contacts, initiate chats and handle the most basic of tasks that Skype should handle. So, we'll leave it to you: is Skype heading in the wrong direction in terms of usability and functionality, or should the collective world just get a grip? %Poll-62303%
Is your iPad 2 experiencing intermittent WiFi connection issues?
Some things, they never change. Boys will be boys, free never really is, and iPads will have WiFi issues. If you'll recall, the original Apple slate also had such troubling issues with maintaining a wireless connection that the folks in Cupertino actually made a promise to fix things in time. Eventually, that patch was indeed rolled out, but then we heard that iOS 4.2 was being pushed a bit due to -- you guessed it -- more WiFi issues. Now that the iPad 2 has made its way out into the adoring public's hands, we're starting to see a growing cadre of customers raising similar gripes. Our in-house iPad 2 hasn't shown any WiFi connection issues as of yet, but there's a 10+ page thread over in Apple's forums that have us wondering if we're amongst the lucky few. Have you noticed any internet quirks with your new iPad? Or are all of these people simply using the world's worst router? Let us know in comments below. [Thanks, Brian]
Motorola recognizes, investigates Atrix 4G voice quality issues (update)
Experiencing voice quality woes with your otherwise delightful Atrix 4G? You aren't alone, buster. In fact, the issue has become so prevalent and widespread that Motorola itself has taken notice, with one of its forum managers creating a sticky to confirm that the company is looking into things. As of now, there's no clear indication of why the problem is emerging, but the positive news is that you aren't actually losing your hearing -- it's a legitimate quandary, and if you'd care to help Motorola fix it, you can visit that source link to tell your story. Till then, we hear local phone providers are offering unbeatable deals on landline connections. Update: Motorola pinged us with an official response. Check it out after the break. [Thanks, Kyle]
Apple TV 4.2.1 update puts kibosh on flickering screens
If you've been using an HDMI to DVI adapter to hook up your Apple TV, there's a chance you've been dealing with some annoying flickering on the boob tube since downloading the latest update to the device. Well, the end to your flashing screen woes is here: Apple's just let loose a followup that promises to fix the flickering. Update 4.2.1 also addresses audio issues and a glitch that puts the thing in a permanent slumber when it goes to sleep. So there you have it -- now you won't have to miss even a split second of your favorite episode of That's So Raven, even though we all know you have it committed to memory. Follow the source link to get your fix.
Is your Thunderbolt having LTE mobile hotspot problems?
We'd been excited to use our HTC Thunderbolts as integral parts of our show setup here at CTIA this week -- only thing is, the mobile hotspot capability is kind of important if we're going to make that happen. On one occasion while reviewing the device last week, we noticed that the phone's radio was cycling between LTE and CDMA-only coverage, dropping the data connection to the tethered devices altogether each and every time, effectively rendering the hotspot capability useless -- thing is, we only saw it happen once. Well, this week at the show, we've got two Thunderbolts on hand and they're both exhibiting exactly the same behavior... and they're doing it consistently, which sadly means there'll be no LTE for us at this week's festivities. A quick check of Verizon's official support forums confirms that other users are seeing the same behavior, so it seems to be a real problem; we'll let you know when we hear more. In the meantime, follow the break for a video demo of the issue.
New MacBook Pros freezing under heavy load?
Apple may have dodged the big Sandy Bridge problem with its new MacBook Pros, but it looks like it may now be experiencing some growing pains of an another sort. As evidenced by a 44-page and growing thread on Apple's official support forums, a number of users have been seeing their 15-inch and 17-inch MacBooks freeze up when they're under a heavy load -- encoding a large video file, for instance. That problem seems to be related to the laptops' new AMD graphics, as switching them to integrated-only seems to "fix" the problem for most users, although obviously at some considerably expense to performance. While Apple isn't offering much publicly at the moment, a user that spoke with customer service said that Apple seemed to be aware of the issue, and that they suggested it was a firmware or driver-related problem, and not an actual hardware issue. Unfortunately, there's still no indication as to when it might be fixed. Let us know in comments if you've run into some similar issues. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPod touch owners report graphics issues under iOS 4.3
Reports are coming in of iPod touch users having graphics glitches after updating to iOS 4.3. As you can see in the picture here and in this video, the problem looks like overlapping icons and "interference" on the screen. There's a growing thread on the Apple message boards of fourth-generation iPod touch users who aren't happy. Resets and factory restores don't solve the problem, it seems, and users are looking to Apple to fix the problem with an update soon. "I've noticed in the lock screen, certain notifications seem to have some sort of flash thing (almost looks like it's blinking in some cases)," says one user. "Similar to other posters in this thread. After rebooting it many times, the same issue is happening." "The graphics for some reason have a snowy and animated outline," says another. "This iPod is not hacked or dropped or anything I don't understand why this is happening. I've turned it off and turned it back on and still having the issue. It is NOT a major issue, it is odd though and having issues with the display on this type of device still can't be a good sign right?" No, it's certainly not a good sign, since the display is pretty much the only way to interact with an iPod touch in the first place. Here's hoping Apple figures out what's causing this and issues a fix. [via Engadget]
