Reality Bites
Your contacts are often scattered across multiple email accounts and social sites. Here’s how to seamlessly combine them all by using Google Contacts as your unified address book. More »
Microsoft just beat analyst expectations, announcing $16.20 billion in revenue for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, with $5.41 billion in profit. Microsoft cites Office 2010, the sustained “PC refresh cycle,” and 38 percent growth in the Xbox 360 biz for its good news, with overall revenue up 25 percent over the same quarter last year and a 51 percent gain in profit. The Xbox 360 has been at the top of the console heap for four months running, which can’t hurt. Microsoft will have an earnings call to discuss its results at 5:30PM EDT, so we’ll be keeping our ears peeled for Steve Ballmer to pull a Steve Jobs, hijack the call, and rag hard on the competition — if only we lived in a world of such beautiful symmetry.
Microsoft announces a record first-quarter revenue of $16.20 billion, $5.41 billion in profit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New court documents filed in a case against Toyota Motor Corp. claim the auto giant bought back cars with sudden acceleration defects and failed to report the problem to federal regulators.
Mac: Hi PC, I’m not feeling so hot today…
PC: Oh, I know ALL about that. I think you have a virus!
You could almost hear the collective gasp when Apple announced that it was no longer going to be supporting Flash on its upcoming devices. Like a scene from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, it seemed the bell had tolled for Flash and designers and developers were going to be dragged into the street to await the body wagon.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The reality is that Flash is far from dead..
..and if one listens carefully I think you can hear developers whispering “I feel happy.” So with HTML5 adoption still a way off, what are some things that Flash can do better than HTML5? Come along as we showcase 10 examples from the ActiveDen marketplace demonstrating why Flash is not quite dead.
With privacy and security concerns at the forefront, it’s unlikely that HTML5 will support webcam interaction any time soon. Augmented Reality Surprise Cake gives a good idea of what can be done with Flash’s webcam integration.
Along with snakes, HTML5 video cannot be used on a plane. 3D, like joke telling, is better left to the experts. XML 3D Video Showcase shows what you can do with a few images and Flash’s powerful 3D engine.
While there may be plans in motion for HTML5 to support audio recording from your microphone, currently the best option is to use Flash. Sound Recorder shows how easy it is to record WAV files from your computer’s microphone.
Who doesn’t want to see their coworkers’ smiling faces during their next online conference? Since video streaming is not part of HTML5’s core standard, you’ll have to use Flash to make sure your coworkers are not working in their underwear on their head (I’m looking at you Roger!) Web Video Conference is a web-based application that allows you to create multiple rooms for audio and video conferencing.
Feel like localizing your next video for a foreign audience? While Safari 5 has recently added the ability to add captions to your HTML5 video, Sequential XML Playlist Video Player shows what can be done with not only captions but also titles and navigational items in Flash.
It may go without saying that since HTML5 can’t interact with your webcam that it also can’t do any recording from your webcam. You’ll have to use Flash and an application like Record Camera To FLV to record all the crazy things your cat does while you’re at work.
I know what you’re thinking “HTML5 is for the web so of course it doesn’t do desktop apps. Duh!” Well let me just say this – you are absolutely correct. And why do you have to be so angry all the time? Desktop Reader App is just one of the many desktop apps that can be put together within Flash.
Ahh alpha channels. You have to be one of my favorite types of channels. This fireSmoke file gives you a glimpse at what you can do with animations and alpha channels.
While P2P is in the HTML5 spec, it hasn’t been turned on in any of the browsers yet. Flash has built in P2P frameworks that help you share all your beautiful files with the world. Multi User File Sharing System is just one of the many P2P apps available.
Who doesn’t love a full screen? If you want to put your widescreen monitor to its best use, you’ll have to use Flash since HTML5 currently stops browsers from going into full screen mode. .Full Browser Flash Image Viewer with Video Player. shows what can be done when you have the full screen to work with.
While none of us are rabid Flash fanbois (except for Lance, maybe), we thought you would like to take a closer look at what’s currently not possible with HTML5. Of course, you could make the case that it’s me who should be dragged out into the street and left for dead. But after all, isn’t that what comment forms are made for? =)
It’s easy to forget at this point, but Android wasn’t a Google creation. Google bought the company in 2005 for an undisclosed sum (estimated to be around $50 million) and, well, let’s just say things worked out pretty well for them. How well? Google’s vice president of corporate development, David Lawee, told attendees at the Stanford Accel Symposium this week that the acquisition was quite simply Google’s “best deal ever.” Lawee further went on to note that he did have some initial skepticism about the deal, and recalls saying “I hope this guy does something” after seeing Andy Rubin around the building for two years. The fact that Rubin actually stayed after the acquisition eventually did inspire some confidence, however, with Lawee adding that it’s obvious when a deal doesn’t work out “because the people leave.”
Google exec calls Android acquisition its ‘best deal ever’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mozilla, creators of Firefox, announced today that they are forced to delay their up and coming version, Firefox 4. In May, the browser giant announced that the release date for the new version would be next month, although recent circumstances have pushed them to delay the release.
Currently, Firefox 4 is…
On Monday, Scott Naturals Tube-Free toilet paper will go on sale in Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs across the Northeast United States. If it sells well, it’ll expand nationally, and then globally. Personally, I just don’t know what to think anymore. More »
There are official 20% fewer penis enlargement emails hitting your spam folder, thanks to the efforts of the Russian government. How’d they do it? By making an effort. More »
When you search for pizza on the internet, most often you want to find a good pizza place nearby. Google Maps is great at this, but today Google’s rolling out a new Place Search feature for better local search via Google.com. More »
By now you’ve seen our photos of the PlayStation Phone, and likely you’ve also heard the scattered reports of debunkings and cries of “fake!” — it wouldn’t be a scoop without it. Only here’s the thing: the PlayStation Phone in the photos we ran last night, and the device reported on back in August is most definitely real. We’re not saying that because we want to believe or because we’re gingerly trying to nab pageviews: we’re saying it because we know it to be true. This is a device which has been confirmed through multiple, trusted sources. And we’re not just talking good tipsters — some of our information comes from people much more closely connected to the project. Even since last night we’ve received more info about the phone — learning that its codename is “Zeus,” and it was last seen running Android 2.X (not 3.0, which we suspect will be the shipping version). It should be obvious by comparison of our original mockup to the real photos we’ve just uncovered that the handset we described in August is the same handset now fully revealed. Prior to last night, we had never seen an actual image of the phone. It should also be obvious that the device pictured in those photos is a prototype running early software (which would explain the A / B button mention in the photo above) with hardware that was likely hand-built, or at the very least created in a very small batch.
Based on what we’ve heard about the secrecy of this plan, it makes sense that even Sony’s own employees wouldn’t be privy to information on the phone, the marketplace, and the collaboration with Google. The alleged Sony response to the device makes that somewhat clear — reports state that an employee originally told a publication that the images were fake, only to backtrack and deliver the standard corporate line that the company “doesn’t respond to rumor and speculation.” It’s possible that whomever was originally questioned either didn’t know of the device’s existence, was lying about its existence, or simply had their response taken out of context. And that brings us to our point — while there will be plenty of speculation on whether or not what we’ve shown you is real, we would never run the images or the information without a healthy sense that we were bringing you fact, and not fiction. We don’t like to boast, but as the guys and girls who brought you the first pictures and review of the Nexus One, the first details and images of the Dell Venue Pro (aka Lightning), the first pictures of the new MacBook Air, the first photos of the iPad, and the first photos of the iPhone 4, we feel pretty confident in our abilities to deliver the goods. Of course, this story is just beginning — so hold on tight.
Gallery: The PlayStation Phone
Gallery: PlayStation Phone details
The PlayStation Phone is still real originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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James Cameron has reached a deal to direct the sequels to his blockbuster sci-fi flick Avatar, which will be due out in December 2014 and December 2015.
Not much more to tell you that you didn’t already pick up from the headline. Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci told Dow Jones Newswire that it will be launching its first line of tablet PCs in New York City on November 23rd, priced from $299 to $699 each. That’s all the man said, leaving us to speculate on the OS (though Android’s been heavily rumored) and whether we’re looking at the launch of an Acer 5-, 7-, or 10-inch tablet (or all of the above) priced with or without carrier subsidies. Still, with Android Gingerbread already on the lawn of the house that Google built we can expect to see a whole slew of Google sanctioned tablets launch before CES 2011 gets underway in January.
Acer tablet PC line launching on November 23rd, priced from $299 to $699 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Posted by Bruce DiBello, Software Engineer
Today, whenever you open an email in your Gmail inbox and then archive or delete it, you’re taken back to your inbox. Many of you have asked for the ability to instead go to the next conversation. Keyboard ninjas will already be familiar with the “]” and “[“ keyboard shortcuts for archiving and going to the next/previous conversation. For everyone else (and for people who frequently mute or delete conversations rather than archive them) we’re offering a new feature in Gmail Labs called “Auto-advance,” which automatically opens the next conversation after you archive/delete/mute the one you’re on.
To get started with “Auto-advance” go to the Labs tab in Settings, enable it, and click the “Save changes” button. By default, “Auto-advance” will advance to the previous (older) conversation in your inbox — perfect for people who read their newest mail first. If you usually read your oldest email first and would rather advance to the next (newer) conversation, you can change the direction from the General Settings tab.
Hopefully this will save you some time the next time you have to deal with a crowded inbox. Try it out and let us know what you think.
It’s hard to believe that what we’re looking at is real — but we assure you, the picture above is in fact the PlayStation Phone you’ve long been waiting for. As we reported back in August, the device you see is headed into the market soon, likely boasting Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread), along with a custom Sony Marketplace which will allow you to purchase and download games designed for the new platform. The device snapped up top (and in our gallery below) is sporting a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 (a chip similar to the one found in the G2, but 200MHz faster), 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and the screen is in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches. Looking almost identical to the mockup we hit you with this summer, the handset does indeed have a long touchpad in the center which is apparently multitouch, and you can see in the photos that it’s still bearing those familiar PlayStation shoulder buttons. For Sony buffs, you’ll be interested to know that there’s no Memory Stick slot here, but there is support for microSD cards.
The particular model in these shots is still in prototyping mode. As such, the unit doesn’t have a custom skin (not even SE’s Timescape design seen on the Xperia devices), and is said to be rather buggy. We’re digging into more facts as we speak, but it’s likely that much of what we reported earlier is still accurate, and though the device could still be headed for a 2010 release, 2011 is looking much more realistic. Still, there’s a lot of time between now and the holidays… so keep your fingers crossed!
Gallery: The PlayStation Phone
Gallery: PlayStation Phone details
The PlayStation Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LimeWire’s days of file-sharing are over after a court ruling today is forcing the company to stop distributing and supporting LimeWire’s P2P file-sharing service.
As per the court ruling, LimeWire “intentionally encouraged direct infringement” and that they were well aware they were endorsing piracy; they were marketing the program to Napster…
We knew good and well it was coming, and here it is. Microsoft has today introduced the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to the public, and for those unaware of how these software rollouts “work,” the RC release generally signals that a final build is just about ready. As previously announced, the only new features added to the SP1 are the Windows Server 2008 R2-related virtualization technologies, Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, and while Windows 7 SP1 will enable PCs to take advantage of these server-based features to provide a more scalable and richer VDI experience for end users, there are no additional new features specific to Windows 7. If that’s cool with you, there’s a source link (and a download) waiting for you just below.
[Thanks, Logan]
Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 sees public beta release originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you come across any software claiming to be ‘Microsoft Security Essentials,’ you might want to double-check before downloading it, because it may very well be a trojan.
Known as ‘Win32/FakePAV,’ this trojan reportedly does a pretty good job of disguising itself, and features many of the same displays and messages you’d see on an authentic version of Security Essentials. Once downloaded, however, the file will automatically generate false alerts, and recommend that you buy additional pieces of fake security software with names like ‘AntiSpySafeguard,’ ‘Major Defense Kit,’ ‘Peak Protection,’ ‘Pest Detector’ and ‘Red Cross.’
Continue reading Beware of Trojan Disguising Itself as Microsoft Security Essentials
Beware of Trojan Disguising Itself as Microsoft Security Essentials originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google Docs just rolled out a new Charts Editor that brings some impressive new tools to Google-Docs-built charts. Those new features include organizational charts, annotated timelines, and a motion chart for visualizing data over time. They’ve also given an all-around facelift to their regular old charts. You can play with the new editor here, or just head to your Google Docs account. [Google Docs Blog] More »
Want to skip ahead to 10%, 20%, 80% of the way through whatever YouTube video your college roommate sent you? Google made a shortcut that takes you there with the push of a button. Here’s how: More »
