Category: GReader

EVO and MyTouch 4G owners have been able to enjoy the virtues of video calling via Qik for some time, but Skype’s latest acquisition is finally letting a few more phones in on the action. Qik Video Connect now works with some devices running Android 2.1 and up, iPhones, iPad 2s and any iPod Touch with a camera — letting Apple fanboys and Android apologists speak face to face over 3G, 4G, and WiFi with the device of their choosing. It’s not the first app to do cross-platform video calling, but it is the only one with Qik’s video mail and video sharing services. The catch? It’s only currently available on ten Android handsets, though dev teams are “busy getting Video Chat ready on additional phones.” Let’s hope they work quickly.

Qik Video Connect gets Android and Apple users seeing eye-to-eye originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not sure how this slipped past us at the Sony Android tablet event, but turns out the electronics giant also teased a couple of interesting VAIO laptops. First up is a “Freestyle Hybrid PC” that slides between tablet mode and laptop mode — very much like the Samsung Sliding PC, but with a seemingly slimmer bottom-half sans trackpad (though we can just about spot a pointing stick on the keyboard). No word on specs, prices, or availability here, but you may recall our proven tipster mentioning a 9.4-inch screen and a $799 launch in the fall. Could this be it? We shall see.

Also shown alongside is a swanky “Ultimate Mobile PC” — pictured after the break — with a hint of USB 3.0 and HDMI on a slim body, but again, there’s not much else to go with this slide. Hey, at least we now know it’s time to start saving up for these bad boys.

Continue reading Sony teases ‘Freestyle Hybrid PC’ tablet slider and next-gen ultra-portable laptop

Sony teases ‘Freestyle Hybrid PC’ tablet slider and next-gen ultra-portable laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dropbox sure has been in the news a lot lately. Two weeks ago Neowin reported that a major security flaw in the service can expose customer files to anyone on the Internet. Now it appears that the company has been trying to shutdown an open source project called Dropship, a…

Here’s something to ponder — will Hulu Plus launch on the Xbox 360 before or after we can sign back into the PSN and change our passwords try out the PS3’s latest version? Sony better hurry, since copies of the June issue of OXM have been spotted that claim the service will launch April 29th, kicking off a month-long giveaway of items including vacations, game systems and Hulu Plus subscriptions to random users. Joystiq confirmed with OXM that the date is actually in the magazine so all that’s left now is the official word, a new app on our dashboards and plenty of gesture and voice controlled madness.

Hulu Plus comes to Xbox 360 April 29th according to OXM originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re taking this with a grain of salt, since it applies only to users of the cross-platform Appcelerator Titanium development environment, but it appears that Windows Phone 7 is facing an increasingly uphill battle for mobile mind-share. At this point it should go without saying that a platform lives and dies by its developers and, according to Appcelerator, they’re growing less and less interested in creating apps for Microsoft’s smartphone OS. Only 29-percent of devs responded to the company’s quarterly survey that they were “very interested” in putting their wares on WP7, a fall of 7 points from last quarter and far less than market leaders Android and iOS. News is even worse for RIM, which saw a fall of 11-points in developer interest for BlackBerry, and now trails the folks from Redmond. Again, this survey is based only on the responses of 2,760 developers using a particular product, so we’d refrain from calling the results incontrovertible. Still, it reinforces something that even a casual observer could discern: BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 have a tough row to hoe. Two more charts after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone and BlackBerry struggle to attract developer attention

Windows Phone and BlackBerry struggle to attract developer attention originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are some pretty good sub-$100 Android phones out there on the market, but they require a bit of compromise when it comes to performance and software updates. Here’s why you’re probably better off ignoring them. More »

Shared by Terren

If I saw one of these I don’t think I’d find these all that cute.

It’s looking like things are just as bad as we feared and that “external intrusion” got a little deeper than we might have liked. In an update on its PlayStation.Blog, Sony just confirmed that the ongoing PSN outage was caused by “malicious actions,” which we already knew, but continues by indicating that there has also been “a compromise of personal information.” Exactly what that means Sony isn’t saying, and it stops short of saying that credit card data for PSN and Qriocity users has been exposed, but the company does say “your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.” Yes, it may have been obtained — even Sony isn’t sure. There’s no further ETA for when PSN may be back up online or when you might be able to finally sample Portal 2‘s delicious online co-op mode, but at least you can still watch Netflix.

Update: Our friends at Joystiq are reporting that Connecticut Senator Blumenthal is rip roarin’ mad about the situation, “demanding answers” from SCEA president Jack Tretton. Right now, we’re more curious what Kevin Butler has to say about things.

Update 2: Sony UK is shedding more light on just what data has been exposed, and frankly we were happier when it was dark. By the sound of things, everything Sony had about you has been accessed. There’s a full list after the break, so only click on through if you dare.

Update 3: Sony’s just posted a clarification regarding the delay of their response: in a nutshell, PSN was shut down after the intrusion on April 19th, and the company needed to work with outside experts to “understand the scope of the breach” before posting the full lowdown earlier today. For those interested, Sony has a lengthy FAQ page regarding this incident.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Sony provides PSN update, confirms a ‘compromise of personal information’ (updated)

Sony provides PSN update, confirms a ‘compromise of personal information’ (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Which do you think emits more CO2: four guys running one mile, or four guys driving one mile in a hybrid car? If you’ve read the headline, then you already know the answer is quite surprising.

Ford Motor Co. said it earned $2.6 billion US in the first quarter, helped by new vehicles like the Ford Explorer.

Right on schedule is SaskTel with making the iPhone 4 available. Currently it’s only the black version and no work on a white model is listed. As for prices, they are the same as all the other carriers: 16GB is $159 on a 3-year and $649 no-term. The 32GB model is $269 on a 3-year […]

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If you have a modern Android phone, you know the pain of turning on your phone at 5 PM only to realize it’s deep in a low-battery coma. Here are the simple manual changes, and clever automatic tweaks, that will keep your phone awake and useful for far longer. More »

Genetically engineered bacteria detect toxins or disease and turn on the appropriate indicator colors.

Google’s said to be working on video-calling for the Gmail app, says a tweeter who claims to “work with Samsung.” His tweet read “Just had a video call using gmail on Nexus S. Impressive quality @googlenexus Gingerbread 2.3.4 #io2011,” and as he used the I/O hashtag it’s believed Google will announce the addition at their big developers’ conference in just a couple of weeks. More »

Compared to this time last year, consumer taste is exceedingly leaning toward Google’s mobile OS.

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Filed under: Features

It’s been 20 years since Baby Sinclair first uttered the words “Not the mama!”

Yep, it’s OK to feel old now.

On April 26, 1991, the world was introduced to the Sinclair family on ABC’s ‘Dinosaurs.’ The sitcom lasted for four seasons and 65 episodes (58 episodes aired during the first run; the remaining aired in syndication) before ultimately ending with the extinction of dinosaurs. (Inevitable, we suppose.)

While ‘Dinosaurs’ was a sitcom, the show broke the mold by not having a studio audience or a laugh track. Brought to life by a cast of experienced Henson puppeteers and seasoned voice actors, ‘Dinosaurs’ is heralded as one of the most ambitious sitcoms ever.

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of ‘Dinosaurs’ with a walk down memory lane after the jump.

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