Switch
Latest
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 8, 2011
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of August 8, 2011: A Toshiba TG01 running Windows Phone 7 was put on private sale. Sadly, the camera doesn't work and its resistive screen won't support multitouch, but otherwise seems to work fine. Offers are being accepted. [via MobileTechWorld] More leaked pictures of the LG Flip II surfaced, showing a couple more angles of the slider phone that has a secondary touch screen set right in between both sides of a split keyboard. Definitely not your average phone. [via LandofDroid] Tired of hearing about the Droid Bionic? Skip this blurb. Someone who said they were a tester of the Bionic claimed the new LTE device will, as hoped, have an improved battery life; in fact, the tester was able to get 15 hours of full use out it. [via AndroidCentral] Need your dumbphone fix? Verizon and LG announced the arrival of the LG Revere this week, a simple clamshell phone that, if you're not careful, could easily transport you back to 2005. It's packing a 1.3 megapixel camera and Bluetooth. That's about all there is to it. [via PRNewsWire] Google Movies, the video app that reached most Honeycomb devices over the summer, is now available for any Android device that has Froyo or better. The app gives you access to plenty of movie rentals and even gives you a spot to store your own personal collection. [via AndroidCentral] Samsung is rumored to be following the lead of Nokia and changing the naming scheme of its phones. Essentially, its Galaxy lineup would be grouped into four separate categories, each defined by its own letter: R would be top-of-the-line, W for high-tier, M for midrange, and Y for entry-level. A similar naming system would be set up for Sammy's Bada devices. Check the via for the full breakdown. [via UnwiredView] The HTC Bliss -- aka "the girl phone," as many seem to be calling it these days -- may be coming to Verizon as an exclusive before heading to Europe. It will come in three different color choices, has an 800MHz CPU with Adreno 205 GPU, and should be preloaded with Android 2.3.4 and HTC Sense 3.5. (thx Eugen) [via HTCInside(translated)] The Motorola Fire, Europe's version of the Droid Pro, is now up for presale in the UK. Online retailer Clove reports that the Fire, in addition to the specs we've already heard about, has a user interface named "Switch." We're curious to see if this is the official name of Blur's replacement. [via Phandroid] We've seen the HTC Merge hit US Cellular, but now it's available for Cellular South customers as well. It's all yours for $100 and a two-year commitment. [via AndroidCentral]
Kanex offers switch for 2 Macs, 1 Cinema Display with SnapX
Kanex has a new switch, the SnapX, that lets you connect two Macs with one Apple Cinema Display. The SnapX is an all-in-one unit that ships with two mini DisplayPort cables, two USB connectors and one button to switch between the two machines. Besides a video signal, the SnapX uses the USB cables to pass through data, audio and the images from your Mac's webcam. Tidy and neat looking, the SnapX has a clip to attach it to your Cinema display. The switch will ship in September for a reasonable US$69. [Via Engadget] Show full PR text Kanex Unveils SnapX – Two Port Switcher for Apple LED Cinema Display Connect two Mac computers to one Apple Cinema Display Brea, CA - August 3, 2011 – Kanex, maker of audio-visual solutions for Apple computers, is excited to unveil the new SnapX two port switcher designed specifically for 24 and 27 inch Apple LED Cinema Displays (ACD). The compact and USB powered SnapX allows users to easily toggle between two different Mac computers including iMac, Macbook Air, Mac mini, Macbook Pro, and new Mac models with Thunderbolt through the ACD. The plug and play SnapX features two mini DisplayPorts and two USB ports. Simply plug in both Mac computers to the built-in 5ft mini DisplayPort and USB cables. Users then plug in the ACD native display cables to the SnapX. Once linked, users are able to utilize the iSight camera and direct the audio of the connected computers through the ACD speakers without altering the audio or video quality. The user friendly one button design allows users to effortlessly switch between both sources. The SnapX features an ergonomic, sleek, clip-on design which fits snuggly on the bottom of the ACD stand. Additionally, the SnapX organizes all wires neatly behind the display providing a clutter-free environment. This also reduces stress on the connectors preventing intermittent signal loss due to loose cable connections. The SnapX is available now for pre-order and will begins shipping in September for $69 at KanexLive.com/SnapX. For the latest on the SnapX and other Kanex products, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. About Kanex Kanex offers an extensive selection of product solutions that specifically designed to provide new and exciting ways to connect devices and displays in a rapidly changing technological world. For more information about Kanex and its products, go to www.KanexLive.com. Kanex is a trademark or registered trademarks of Apogee Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. Apple, Mac, and Apple Cinema Display are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries.
Adobe lures unhappy Final Cut Pro X users with half-price video editing tools
To say the latest version of Final Cut Pro wasn't well received, would be a major understatement. Well, Adobe hasn't wasted any time taking advantage of consumer discontent, and is now offering dissatisfied users of Apple's video editing software a 50 percent discount to make the switch to its alternatives, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS5.5 Production Premium. If you're not feeling the latest iteration (or any version) of Final Cut Pro or Avid's Media Composer, the offer stands through September 30th. And here we thought Apple and Adobe had buried the hatchet. Full PR after the break.
DIY robot is the brooding teenager you've always wanted to slap (video)
Is a robot really a robot if it refuses to act like a robot? That's the question we were asking ourselves after stumbling upon this DIY machine, which may have just seized the crown for World's Bitchiest Bot. Every time you flip the on switch, this little gremlin will partially emerge from its box to turn itself off with a vicious, whip-like gesture normally reserved for snooze buttons. Continue to rub it the wrong way and the petulant ingrate will eventually scurry away from you and start spinning around frantically, before completely withdrawing the switch and shutting itself off. After that, it'll probably spend a few hours sulking and listening to Elliott Smith in its room, but don't worry -- it's just a phase. Video after the break.
Cisco goes minimalistic with new Linksys E-Series routers and switches
If you dig the stylish look on the Linksys E4200 802.11n router but prefer something more wallet-friendly, then Cisco's latest range of home routers and switches will likely suit your taste. Gone are the curved grooves and blinking LEDs on the top, but these routers -- ranging from $59.99 to $159.99 -- still go about their usual wireless business at up to 300Mbps, with additional simultaneous dual-band support on the pricier E2500 and E3200. Like their predecessors, you'll also find a refreshed, feature-packed Cisco Connect software suite in the box, which promises to make installation and management a whole lot easier. Also notable is the upcoming virtual USB feature that connects printers and storage devices to the network -- the E3200 and E4200 are expected to receive this update in the summer. As for the switches, you have a choice of three new models going from $29.99 for five 10/100Mbps ports, all the way up to $74.99 for eight gigabit connections. All these good-looking fellas are up for grabs starting today, and you can check out the spec sheets after the break for all the nitty-gritty.
Hanwha unleashes HDMI / USB adapter for iPad, iPhone 4, and fourth-gen iPod touch
Feel the desire to watch your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch (fourth gen) videos on the big screen, but looking for something with a little more girth than Apple's HDMI solution? Hanwha's latest dongle might do the job. As you can see above, in place of the original adapter's dock connector port is a USB 2.0 socket -- compatible with cameras supporting mass storage connection -- alongside the 720p-friendly HDMI port, but you'll have to use the switch to toggle between the two modes. And that little mini-USB port on the far right? Well, it's there to provide some juice to "reduce battery drain," but probably not enough to charge up your iDevice. If you're still interested and have a friend in Japan, Hanwha's charging ¥5,980 (around $73), which is almost double that of Apple's $39 connector. Is USB support worth such a price jump? Your call.
Dell Inspiron R refreshed with removable lids and Intel's latest processors
We'll be honest, we've never been the biggest fans of Dell's colorful, patterned lids -- not because some of them are pretty ugly, but because once you choose one hue, you're stuck with it forever (or at least until you need a new laptop). Well, Dell's finally solved that piece of the puzzle with its new Inspiron R series -- the 14-, 15.6- and 17.3-inch laptops all have swappable lids. Yep, it's sort of like those interchangeable Swatch watch faces from the 90s -- you can snap off the standard black cover, buy a new one for $39.99, and latch it right on. But that's not all Dell's changed with its mainstream laptops -- the rigs now have new chiclet keyboards, HD webcams, and a design that's similar to the new XPS line. For a budget system -- the 15R starts at $529.99 -- they actually feel pretty solid and the internal organs fit the same description. All three of the machines can be configured with brand new Sandy Bridge Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, Blu-ray drives, up to 8GB of RAM, six or nine-cell batteries, and USB 3.0 ports. Dell didn't forget about the graphics either -- the 14 will be available with AMD Radeon HD 6000M options, while the 15 and 17 grab a hold of NVIDIA's GeForce GT525. All three models should be up for order today on Dell's website with them heading to retailers later this spring. Hit the break for the full PR / specs and don't forget to check out the hands-on shots on your way. Update: We now have the correct spec sheet after the break! Update 2: Dell has just told us that the replaceable lids will actually be $39.99. %Gallery-119199%
Poll: Would you switch ISP's for Netflix streaming?
In its Q4 results earlier today Netflix broached the idea that, just as internet service providers can block its content, it could also restrict access to certain providers if they continue to force its CDNs to pay for network access. Given its incredible growth, there's certainly a large number of high value users making use of the service and potentially something users would actually switch providers to keep access to. While that's just an idea, more immediately it plans to release detailed statistics on ISP performance tomorrow on its blog. So let us know, if your ISP either doesn't measure up or potentially was actually blocked by Netflix, would you switch in order to keep the streaming movies coming? %Poll-59282%
j5 Create's device / data sharing peripherals leave us cautiously optimistic
We're dying to find out more about j5 Create's line of attractive and ambitious peripherals, but we're not entirely sure they actually exist. The company's website features six different data and device sharing products -- the JUC100 Wormhole KM Switch offers keyboard and mouse functionality across two devices; the JUA230 DVI Display Adapter connects up to six monitors with three different display modes; and the JUH320 Wormhole Station brings together shared keyboard and mouse access with two USB 3.0 ports and a memory card reader. j5's website promises stylish connectivity, featuring sleek product renderings and a flash presentation that provides, ahem, inspirational insight -- swans, flutes, ballerinas -- but no talk of finished products, price, or availability. Additionally, we haven't found any of these devices for sale online, despite the fact that the brand's parent company, KaiJet, is an established manufacturer of peripherals in Taiwan. So, yes, there's a chance that someone out there is hooked up to a Wormhole Station right now, but we wouldn't bet our diamond-encrusted iPhone on it.
NoMute reclaims iPad orientation lock in iOS 4.2, but only if you jailbreak
If you've yet to upgrade your iPad to iOS 4.2.1, and you're head-over-heels with your orientation lock, you've got two options: upgrade and lose that functionality altogether, or upgrade / jailbreak and get it back. Naturally, we'd recommend the latter. In what can only be described as "so typically Apple," the software engineers at Cupertino figured that they'd convert the perfectly acceptable orientation lock switch into a mute switch. We lamented this fact in our review of the update, but rather than Apple creating (non-fiddly) alternatives within its software, we're left to look for a solution in the jailbreaker's app store. NoMute has just emerged under the BigBoss repository in Cydia, promising to reclaim the switch you've already become accustomed to using. It's available now for absolutely nothing, but users are encouraged to cast a wicked glare in Steve's direction as the download ensues. Update: After installing the tweak and doing our own testing, we came one minor issue. Some apps decided to mute when the physical orientation (er, mute) switch is flicked on. So, when we played Angry Birds and physically locked the orientation, we lost sound. However, the sound remained when we locked our screen and tested videos on YouTube via Safari.
Ed Bott's side-by-side Mac and PC experiment
ZDNet's Microsoft reporter Ed Bott is switching to a Mac. It's not forever and not in the way that you may be thinking, but for the time being he has decided to get serious about a side-by-side Mac and PC comparison he started over a year ago. Using a Mac mini and an HP Pavilion Elite desktop connected to dueling 24-inch monitors and sharing a single keyboard and mouse, he's not so much switching (wonder if he has watched the Apple "Find Out How" videos yet) but rather working towards his goal of being "comfortable enough to move between machines and use the best tools on each one with as little friction as possible." Using Synergy, open-source software that allows the use of one keyboard and mouse with both machines at once, Bott can move between them at will throughout the day. While this first installment in his "switch" is mostly about getting everything set up correctly, future discussion will include any hassles of platform switching and a comparison of the latest Office versions on each. Sure sounds like a much more complicated way of switching than the method I used with my Mom, which was to ask her to please just listen to me and buy a Mac. She's been thankful ever since.
Mac 101: Moving files from your old PC to your new Mac
A friend asked how to get her music, photos, and documents from her PC to her new Mac. There was actually a "Get a Mac" ad about this called Off The Air. In the commercial, the services was described as being free. I called Apple and was told that yes this is still available and free -- but I think the person I spoke to was wrong. Apple's "Why Mac?" FAQ says that this is now part of the One to One service, which is $99 and only available when you buy a new Mac. Apple also has an article entitled Switch 101: Migrate Your Files or Your Windows System which is also designed to help. If you can't use One to One, option number two is to copy files from your PC to an external hard drive, connect that drive to your Mac, and move the files over. If you already have an external hard drive, this is a great idea. Even if you don't have one, it would be a good idea to invest in one so you can later use it for Time Machine. Option number three is to copy files over a local network. This has the advantage of being free, assuming you already have a local network setup. Read on for instructions on moving files over your network...
Mac 101: Use the tab key in more dialog boxes
TUAW reader Cody Rogers wrote in to say: "I'm fairly new to my iMac and Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard. One of my biggest annoyances from switching over from PC to Mac is when a dialogue box comes up and says 'cancel' or 'okay' I can't find the keyboard shortcut to go from cancel to okay. In Windows, I could just hit 'tab' to go to the other option. Is this possible on a Mac? I've been doing some searching on it and can't find anything!" I happened to have found the same thing when doing a clean reinstall of Snow Leopard over the weekend. The good news is that there is a way to do it, but it is not turned on by default and it does require a bit of hunting around. I didn't remember where it was either. Launch System Preferences, either by choosing it from the "Apple" menu or by going to your /Applications/ folder. In System Preferences, select the "Keyboard" preference pane (middle of the 2nd row) Then click "Keyboard Shortcuts" at the top of that window (see image above) At the bottom of that panel there is an option to use Tab to move between either "Text boxes and lists only" (default) or "All controls". Select the radio control next to "All controls" and you will now be able to use the tab to go between "Save" and "Cancel" or any other dialog boxes which appear. Also note that for most dialog boxes, the Enter/Return key will select "OK" and command+period (or the Escape key) will cancel. If you'd like to learn more about using keyboard shortcuts with Mac OS X, Apple has a really useful page which will come in handy, especially for those switching from Windows.
Nexus One tips for iPhone users
Here's an interesting post from Scott Knaster, a happy iPhone user and Google employee who made a cold-turkey switch to the Nexus One for three months (yes, some employees can get their hands on things early). You might expect a Nexus One v. iPhone post from a Google employee to be slanted, but that's not the case here. Mr. Knaster obviously loves his iPhone, and offers practical tips for users looking to switch, like: You can simply move the SIM from iPhone to the N1. However, you won't get 3G on AT&T, only Edge. This hasn't been a big deal for me. And my iPhone data plan seems to work fine for the N1. I miss the iPhone's silence/ring switch, but you can silence the phone by swiping the volume control on the lock screen. If the phone is already on, hold down the Volume Down button to (silently) silence. There's a lot more, so read the whole thing. He also talks about the Dolphin browser with its support for touch, pinch and gestures. I haven't used it but must admit that gestures screen seems like a holdover from Graffiti, and not in a good way. [Via Guy Kawasaki]
DIY cat feeder now enabled by a Cisco switch, streams food and video
You know, there are times when you have to part ways with your adorable kitties at home, and you might not be so keen on getting a cat sitter in case he or she touches your precious game consoles (even if it's an old granny). We've seen the lazy man's solution before, but Britain's Mathew Newton has brought us a new DIY internet-enabled cat feeder just in time for a new decade. Rather than using a CD-ROM tray to push-release unknown quantities of cat food, Mathew's version has a motor-driven cereal dispenser controlled by signal from port status LEDs on a Cisco switch -- an ingenious way to avoid expensive Ethernet relay units. When it's feeding time the user logs onto a web interface to choose the dispensing quantity, or you can also have an automatic feed schedule set up if you trust the system -- Mathew said he "can rely on it 100%," and his cats do appear to be healthy. Fortunately, you can always check the live video stream just in case you have doubts. All is explained in the video after the break.
Art from GRIN's canceled projects revealed
We knew that GRIN was working on a project in conjunction with Square-Enix titled Fortress at the time of its closure -- however, the portfolio of Bionic Commando lead character designer Björn Albihn offers a look at a few more of the studio's games which might have been. In addition to concepts from Fortress, the art collection includes a look at a spaghetti-western shooter called The Cult, a PSP game called Switch and a number of character models from an untitled project. All the models look amazing -- particularly the designs for The Cult. Though the smiling developer has closed its doors, we certainly hope these projects will see the light of day in some form or another. [Via Superannuation]
Netgear's Home Theater Internet Connection Kit spreads content on power lines
Not so fond of those wireless streaming solutions? Unable to strew Ethernet cables all across your abode for fear of an SO beating? Fret not, as Netgear's now-shipping Home Theater Internet Connection Kit has you covered. The $179.99 bundle consists of an XAVB1004 Powerline AV Ethernet switch and a single Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter (XAV101) to get you started; just connect your web-ready wares to these adapters via Ethernet, and connect said adapters to your home's vast array of power outlets. It's magic, really.[Via HotHardware]
Theming the login page
Toussaint is exactly right -- this took me back. Way back to the original login screen and music, when level 60 was the max and everyone was running UBRS and the Plaguelands instances, and "heroic" was just something us players were. Even the Burning Crusade login screen, right, brings back some memories, of wandering around Hellfire Peninsula and raiding in Netherstorm. The roar of the frost wyrm we have now is nice and all, but sometimes we long for earlier days.Which brought me to the question: what about a theme-switching system? There's no real reason the login screen has to be set to the current expansion -- while it's nice to have a new look to that interface every time we reinstall the program, there's nothing the new one really does that the old one couldn't. You'd think they'd be easy to change around, and if Blizzard just gave us a drop-down switcher in the options, we could choose whichever one we wanted.Let's not forget, however, that their code is weird -- you wouldn't think that they'd hard-wire the new Battle.net login code to the newest login screen, but maybe they did something silly like that, which would probably mean we'll never see the "classic" login screen again. But still, if there's a way to do it, it would be nice to see that old portal and hear that rousing anthem yet again.
IOGEAR puts four USB devices on your network with USB Net ShareStation
We've seen a few devices that put your existing USB external hard drives on home networks, but IOGEAR's latest contraption does that crowd one better. The 4-Port USB Net ShareStation (shown left) enables everyone with access to a local network to access four USB devices (HDDs, printers, scanners, drink coolers, etc.), and moreover, that access can be cord-free if the hub is plugged into a wireless router. In other news, the outfit has revealed the 2-Port USB 2.0 Printer Auto Sharing Switch (shown right), which it describes as the "only automatic printer switch compatible with Macs and PCs." Both devices should be scattered across office supply stores by the end of this month for $99.95 and $39.95, respectively.
Gefen's 8x4 CAT-5 HDMI Matrix is probably overkill for you
Be warned -- unless you seriously need eight HDMI sources hooked up to a single matrix switch in order to activate four at a time on an array of panels, you should probably skip right over this one. If we just rung your bell, however, read on. Gefen's latest HDMI distribution box is definitely catering to the high-end / commercial market by being entirely rack-mountable and supporting up to eight HDMI inputs and four outputs. High-def signals can be transmitted over CAT5 cabling, and there's even an RS-232 port for additional control capabilities. As for distances, you can expect 1080i material to travel up to 300 feet without degradation, while 1080p content will flow 150 feet. The only problem? The $4,499 price tag. Full release is after the break.
