SoftwareUpdates
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GM working on over-the-air updates for future vehicles
Over the past few weeks, General Motors has focused on bringing Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles. While this functionality is great for drivers, the company's current infotainment ecosystem still relies on being updated at dealerships -- which can be a hassle to some people. But, it looks like that won't be the case for much longer. On Wednesday, GM's global product development chief, Mark Reuss, said the automaker is already working on a new technology that will allow future vehicles to receive cloud-based software updates.
Acorn 4.0 arrives with much faster performance, curves and more
Flying Meat has updated Acorn, its popular image-editing software for Mac, to version 4, bringing a plenitude of new features and performance enhancements. Most notably, Acorn 4 is dramatically faster than previous versions as well as introduces the following new features: curves, non-destructive filters, multiple layer selection, Boolean shape operations, Merlin HUD, new shape tools and an improved UI. Full release notes can be found on Flying Meat's Acorn website. Acorn 4 requires Mac OS X 10.8 and is available at a special introductory price of US$29.99 through to the end of May at Flying Meat's Acorn website. If you've not tried Acorn before, you can do so as a free trial for 14 days.
iOS 6.1 now available for download
The latest software update for iOS, known as 6.1, has finally become available as a free download. According to the release notes, the update adds LTE support for additional carriers (36 for iPhone, 23 for iPad), the ability to purchase movie tickets through Siri (US-only) and the opportunity for iTunes Match fans to download individual songs from iCloud. Check your device to see if it's available -- it's hitting ours as we speak, and the press release is available below.
Apple updates Final Cut Pro X with slew of new features, now available for download
Amidst all the announcements made at the California Theatre earlier today, Apple very quietly pushed out a fresh version of its famed (and at times controversial) video editing software, Final Cut Pro. Inside v10.0.6 users can find an array of new additions and improvements that will most certainly be welcomed with open arms by the FCPX crowd, making this the most notable update since bundling in those multicam and broadcast monitoring features. Among these new traits are RED camera support for native REDCODE RAW editing, the ability to add freeze frames to the timeline with a simple keystroke, novel audio controls for use while tinkering with multicam clips and a revamped "Share" interface for exporting projects. The Final Cut Pro update can be downloaded now from the usual spot, and, of course, it comes at no extra cost for those who've already shelled out the $300. The full and hefty changelog can be found right after the break.
Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4 will support HiDPI, MacBook Pro Retina Display in 'the coming months'
You know who's likely to buy the MacBook Pro with Retina Display? Creative professionals (obviously). So you know what programs should really be optimized for that 2,880 x 1,800 screen? Try Photoshop, or Lightroom. Adobe hears your frustration, and apparently empathizes mightily: the company just posted a blog post promising Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 4 and Photoshop Touch will support HiDPI, including the MacBook Pro's Retina Display, within the "coming months." (No, this near-term update does not include Photoshop Elements, unfortunately.) While that timetable is on the vague side, the outfit says having a Creative Cloud membership will ensure you get that update sooner. Until then, your frankengadget renders will still look a little blurry, sorry.
Ubuntu 12.10 adds Photo Lens for searching photos stored locally and online
If Ubuntu is your OS of choice, you've already been enjoying so-called lenses to help you search through your music, videos, apps and documents. So why not a search filter for photos? Why not indeed, said the folks at Canonical. The dev team has just updated the operating system (version 12.10) with a Photo Lens that lets you search your pics by name, tag or EXIF data. What's more, in addition to searching photos stored locally, you can pull in pictures stored on sites like Facebook and Flickr, because who knows how many of your cameraphone photos bypassed your computer and went straight to the web?
Google enables Play Store delta updates, helps you conserve precious data
At Google's developer conference, the company announced that it would soon offer the ability to download delta updates in its Play Store, and we're starting to see the promise fulfilled before our very eyes. These delta upgrades, which save time and bandwidth when updating larger apps by only downloading the actual changes (rather than the entire program), were spotted earlier by Android Police and verified by our staff. While it may seem like a minor feature, you'll likely be happy that you don't have to think twice about updating your graphically-intense games when you're not within range of a hotspot. Head below for a video showing the delta updates in action.
Apple OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 review
More Info Apple OS X Lion 10.7 review OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 in-depth preview OS X Mountain Lion: arrives on Macs next month, priced at $20 A lot has changed since early 2001. We've got a new president approaching the end of his first term, the US has embarked on two major wars and the words "Lady Gaga" have become much more than just gibberish. Some things, however, don't change. In nearly each of these intervening years, Apple has issued a major update to its desktop operating system, OS X. This time last year, the company issued OS 10.7 Lion, a king-of-the-jungle moniker many thought would mark the end of Apple's big cat naming scheme and, by extension, the OS X lineage. In February, however, the old operating system showed she still had some life left in her, when the next edition was revealed, arriving over the summer and called Mountain Lion. Based on the name alone, you'd think 10.8 would be a modest improvement over its predecessor -- not unlike the baby step between Leopard (10.5) and Snow Leopard (10.6). But Apple insists that this latest build is more than just a seasonal refresh -- in all, it boasts more than 200 new features. Some are major, including things like a new Notification Center, AirPlay Mirroring and a desktop version of Messages. Others, such as full-screen mode for Notes... not so much. What seems to unite the vast majority of the 200 features, however, is a nod to iOS. So, how easily can Mac users justify that $20 download? Follow along after the break, as we put those 200 features to the test.%Gallery-161032%
Skype's latest update for Windows and Mac apps fixes bugs, improves stability
Those of you who are frequent users of Skype on Windows, Mac or Linux will know that the Microsoft-owned video chat service is often rather busy pushing out updates to its desktop applications. And, you guessed it, today's no exception. Unlike in previous occasions, however, this time Skype's software goods are only for folks using Redmond or Cupertino machines -- but they're also quite diminutive, so the Linux crowd won't be missing out on too much. How so? Well, both versions (Mac 5.8, Windows 5.10) aren't really adding any fresh features, only bringing an undisclosed amount of "generic" bug fixes and some unspecified enhancements to keep the apps running smoothly. You can grab the updates now from either of the links below, or straight from the Skype application on your computer.
Nikon pushes out D4, D800 firmware update, fixes lock-up issues and other bugs
It wasn't long ago that we heard about the "lock-up" woes D4 and D800 owners were experiencing on their shiny new shooters, but luckily for them, Nikon just outed a fix to take care of those issues. Aside from solving the aforementioned annoyance, the firmware update (B:1.01) also mends a problem allowing RAW files to be network-transferred while in JPEG-only mode, as well as a bug causing bits like aperture and exposure compensation to change unexpectedly when using certain custom settings. You can grab the updates now via the source links below, and be sure to let us know how it all turned out in the end.
Chrome OS review (version 19)
It seems like yesterday that we reviewed the inaugural Samsung Series 5 Chromebook running Google's Chrome OS, an operating system for laptops based on Chrome. It was, from the start, a world in which everything from music playback to document creation happened in browser tabs. Since we last checked in a year ago, Google has addressed some early complaints -- the browser can actually stream Netflix now! -- but it's only just getting around to ticking off some other long-standing grievances, like multitasking. The company just announced two new Chrome OS devices -- the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 and Chromebox Series 3 -- and both run a spanking-new build of the OS that ushers in a simplified desktop with customizable wallpaper and the ability to minimize, maximize and close windows -- oh my! More importantly, you can now view multiple windows onscreen, edit docs offline and pin shortcuts to the bottom of the screen -- a combination that promises some seriously improved multitasking. Other goodies: built-in Google Music, Google+ and Hangouts, along with a basic photo editor, redesigned music player and enhanced remote desktop app. So does all this add up to an upgrade meaty enough to make the skeptics give Chrome OS a second look? Could it be time for you to get the low-tech person in your life a Chromebook? Let's see.%Gallery-156285%
ooVoo opens up 12-way chat on Facebook and the iPad, gives other apps a facelift
If there's some video chat corollary to Moore's Law, ooVoo is adhering to it. Almost a year to the day after announcing six-way calls, the company is expanding its offerings to include 12-way chats on both Facebook and ooVoo's iPad app. It would seem that on FB, at least, that means true 12-way, face-to-face conversations -- an obvious one-up to Facebook's native video calling app, which is powered by Skype. On the iPad, however, that 12-way claim comes with a substantial quid pro quo: while you can partake in chat with 12 people at once, you can only view up to four people's streams at a time. Moving on, folks using ooVoo on Android or the iPhone will notice some UI tweaks starting today, while people plugged into the desktop version will be treated to a more drastic overhaul. Rounding out the list of newsy bits, the ability to record and upload video chats to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter is now free. You can get your update on now at ooVoo.com, the Apple App Store or Google Play, and we've got one last screen shot after the break to help illustrate what's on tap.
Some Iconia Tab A500s getting Ice Cream Sandwich early, Acer Ring is MIA
Last week, Acer announced that Ice Cream Sandwich would make its way to Iconia Tabs A100 and A500 in Canada and the US starting April 27th, but Phone Arena reports that some owners of the 10.1-inch A500 are getting the option to update a day ahead of schedule. If you're one of the lucky few to be in on the early upgrade, you should be ready to rock with Android 4.0.3 after a 30-minute install. The one potential downside to getting ICS ahead of time? You'll have to wait for the Acer Ring hub, which didn't make the cut for this update.
Nest Thermostat update adds 10-day history, helps send chilly air through the home
There's a first for everything, including Engadget stories about software updates for thermostats. If we're going to suddenly start getting granular in our coverage of home automation products, though, we may as well start with the Nest, a device slick enough to make us use "thermostat" and "sexy' in the same sentence. Now that it's been out on the market for about five months, the company's issuing a software update that introduces a couple new features. For starters, particularly fastidious users can now access a detailed 10-day history, showing precisely when and for how long their heating and cooling systems kicked in, as well as the reason for that shift (e.g., you manually changed the temperature, were away). Though you can't view all that data on the device's small, circular screen, you can look it up online or through Nest's iOS and Android apps. Next up is Airwave, a feature that uses your fan to distribute chilled air through the home after your air conditioner has turned off (you know, instead of letting one room get intensely, unnecessarily cold). According to Nest, that feature turns on automatically when the temperature is high and the humidity low, though we're hazy on the algorithm being used there. Rounding out the list, Nest has made certain settings easier to access, and the hardware itself will ship with redesigned connectors that purport to work well even without wall anchors. Save for that last bit, current owners can enjoy all these tweaks via a free software update -- fully automated, 'o course.
Twitter for BlackBerry 3.0 brings easier photo-uploading, automatic link-shortening, BBM integration
Listen up, you BlackBerry users, you: RIM's just released a new version of its Twitter app, and though the list of new features is hardly earth-shaking, they should all be welcome additions to those of you who've been making do with version 2.0. On board we've got automatic link-shortening, for starters, along with BlackBerry Messenger integration (read: the ability to link your Twitter account with BBM). So far so good, right? You can also upload photos to pic.twitter.com directly from your device's camera, or as you're composing tweets. Finally, Twitter says it's made it easier to share websites from within the browser. So long as you've got BlackBerry 5 installed as your OS, you can get your download on at the link below. Still haven't upgraded from 4.6? Sorry, folks, you're stuck with version 2.0.
Motorola MOTOACTV software update allows for pairing with non-Moto devices
Good news for fitness junkies who like to mix and match their gadget brands: MotoACTV's accompanying application will now work on pretty much all Android phones, and not just those that happen to be made by Motorola. The only catch so far as we can tell is that your handset must run Android 2.1 (Eclair) or later -- a near-certainty in 2012. Already rocking a Moto device? You might still want to take the time to install this update, as it brings several other new features, including the ability track fitness goals on your phone, as well as use your handset to configure WiFi networks for your MotoACTV. You can also plan workouts on your device of choice, access them on MotoACTV and then send your workout data back to the phone. So far, the Engadget staff can confirm the update works just fine on LG devices, so we're optimistic the latest software will play nice with the Samsungs, HTCs and Huaweis of the world. Hit up the source link below to get your download on and as always, let us know how it goes.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates The top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt's long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device -- until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life] Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn't the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it -- plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone's connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It's disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed] LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we're still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral] Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral] Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral] Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity] Casio G'Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life] Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog] T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn't appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral] Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware] You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life] If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn't announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog] Other platforms Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango. The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral] Refreshes we covered this week Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out How to force Mango to your phone right away Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?
Refresh Roundup: week of September 12, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates The HTC Merge on US Cellular can now be bumped up to Android 2.3.4. It appears to be a manual install, so visit here to download the file and learn exactly how to update your device. [via UnwiredView] HTC has added another device to its growing list of phones and tablets that now support the HTCDev bootloader unlock tool. [via PocketDroid] The LG Optimus S on Sprint is now on the receiving end of an OTA Gingerbread rollout. [via UnwiredView] Great news, Samsung Infuse 4G users: you're getting an update. The bad news: it's a maintenance fix, rather than a full-out Gingerbread upgrade. Still, it may be worth the download if you have the time or opportunity. [via AndroidCentral] Samsung has released the kernel source for the Epic 4G Touch. [via PocketNow] Sprint's certainly getting a lot of love this week, and we're not done yet: the Motorola Photon 4G is beginning to push out another smallish bug fix meant to curb WiFi issues experienced by a few users, and appears to be a gradual rollout. [via SprintFeed] The original Motorola Droid X is expected to receive a maintenance refresh as early as tomorrow, which is intended to resolve a widespread issue with the keyboard. If you're in this category, definitely keep a close eye out on this space. [via Droid-Life] We're hearing that the Droid 2 R2-D2 update to Gingerbread, which we originally reported on last week, is officially rolling out to eager fanboys and fangirls countrywide. [via AndroidCentral] Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery Those CyanogenMod7 builds for the HTC Sensation and EVO 3D we were talking about last week? They're now available. As extremely early builds, download and flash at your own risk. [via AndroidCentral] Since we're talking so much about HTC, here's one more thing: you can now grab a ROM for your HTC Desire HD that enables the beats audio technology. [via GSMArena and Android Community] A dev has been hard at work pulling various Motorola Atrix ROMs and porting them over to the Droid X2. The first one available is plain vanilla Android 2.3.4, if you're just not feeling up to using MotoBlur (aka the now-nameless Moto UI). [via Droid-Life] The initial build of the Motorola Droid Bionic bootstrap is available for install, which essentially will enable you to bootstrap your recovery and create backups on your device. Custom ROMs still aren't around for the Bionic yet (although early builds of CM7 began showing up this week), but the bootstrap is a big step toward achieving that goal. [via Droid-Life] Other platforms Symbian's Anna update is continuing to expand support to more countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Taiwan and Turkey. The refreshes for the US, Canada and Australia -- according to an email from Nokia -- is expected to arrive within the next two weeks. [via MyNokiaBlog] Refreshes we covered this week AT&T Windows Phone 7 devices to receive Mango this fall BlackBerry PlayBook to get OTA update next month that will offer native email, calendar
VMware Fusion 4 brings full Lion support, wants to make Windows act less like Windows
Leave it to VMware to put the spotlight back on Lion when this is, without a doubt, Windows 8's week. The company just announced Fusion 4, the latest version of its virtualization software, and, as you'd expect, it pledges to play nice with Apple's newly minted OS. In addition to fully supporting Lion features like Spotlight, though, it makes Windows look more like, well, a Mac. The software includes improved support for Expose and Spaces on the Windows side, and adds the ability to use Mission Control and launch Windows apps from Launchpad. Additionally, you can run Lion as a virtual machine within Snow Leopard and VMware makes vague claims about improved performance, 3D graphics and resource-hogging. It'll cost $50 through the end of the year, with the price jumping up to $80 in January. Fittingly enough, VMware picked up on the fact that Apple's moving away from optical drives, and instead chose to ship the software with a USB drive (you can also download it and do the whole drag-and-drop installation thing). Oh, and if you bought the last-gen version of the software on July 20th or later, you'll get the new version gratis. Lots of screen shots below, and full PR after the break.%Gallery-133556%
Refresh Roundup: week of August 29, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates The biggest update we saw this week was a widespread push of Android 2.3.3 to the Motorola Droid 2. This one is done OTA, so simply go into your settings menu and check for updates to see if it's there. (thanks to everyone who sent this in) While we saw a rollout of Android 2.3 to a select few LG Optimus Ones in June, we're hearing reports that the update's now getting pushed out again to a few more regions. This refresh must be done manually through LG's updater tool, so you'll definitely want to check to see if your phone is one of the lucky recipients. [via PocketNow] US Cellular took to its Facebook Page to let customers know it's working on revamping the Samsung Mesmerize to Gingerbread at some point, though no official date or timeframe was given aside from "as soon as possible." [via AndroidCentral] HTC announced the arrival of Android 2.3 for the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible this month, via its Facebook page. [via AndroidCommunity] In fact, some users have already reported getting Gingerbread for the Incredible, and we suspect the rollout will be complete no later than the end of the month, to fulfill the company's promise. [via Phandroid] Gingerbread is in the plans for the Motorola Milestone 2, and according to the company the refresh will begin rolling out in early Q4. [via MyDailyGadget] The Samsung LC11 LTE mobile hotspot is getting a new build, EF07, that appears to improve its handling of multiple devices and congested WiFi locations. It also adds security patches and new protocols. [via Verizon] An update for the Droid 3 was apparently available to soak testers and leaked online, but was pulled from Motorola servers shortly thereafter. It appears to add video chat support in GTalk and adds a new radio that's supposed to save battery life. The via link still has the update available for anyone interested. [via Droid-Life] Unofficial Android updates / custom ROMs / misc hackery The root method used on most Motorola Android devices has been employed to root the Droid Bionic before it's even been released. [via Droid-Life] LG has released the kernel source for its Gingerbread build of the Optimus S. [via AndroidCentral] The HTC Dev site expanded its support for the bootloader unlock tool this week, now encompassing all versions of the Sensation -- including T-Mobile's. [via AndroidCentral] Other platforms SPB Shell 3.0 is now available for Symbian^3 devices. It brings a fresh 3D-style UI to the OS, and can be yours for $15. [via IntoMobile] Updates already covered this week HP planning TouchPad OTA update for added functionality HTC Flyer Honeycomb ROM leaks Samsung Nexus S updated to 2.3.6, fixes voice search and breaks tethering
