Reality Bites
Odeleite River, Portugal. Photo by Steve Richards.
We found the BlackBerry PlayBook to be a pretty solid piece of hardware, but it seems there was a problem batch — an inside source tells us that nearly 1,000 faulty tablets were shipped to Staples, and now they’re being recalled. We’re hoping that Staples (and any other affected retailers) will reach out to customers and inform them of the problem right away, but just in case that doesn’t happen, we’ve compiled a searchable spreadsheet of all 935 alleged serial numbers for you to check against your own. Find it right after the break.
Update: RIM tells Crackberry that the faulty batch of the 16GB tablets was indeed limited to the approximately 1,000 units described here, and that they had a faulty build of the OS “that may result in the devices being unable to properly load software upon initial set-up.” Furthermore, the company says that only a few went out to customers and that most are still in distribution, so with any luck you’ll never have to deal with this problem to begin with.
Continue reading RIM recalls 900 faulty BlackBerry PlayBooks, here are the serial numbers (update)
RIM recalls 900 faulty BlackBerry PlayBooks, here are the serial numbers (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 21:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ladies and gentlemen, your PS3 may technically be able to connect to PlayStation Network now, but we’re not through the woods yet — today, Sony is issuing a mandatory System Update (v3.61) which will prepare your game machine for that magical day when the company actually throws the switch. In the meanwhile, Sony says the update will prompt you to change your PlayStation Network password, which will likely rank among the easiest decisions that you’ve ever made.
Update: Sony’s just announced that a “phased restoration” of PlayStation Network and Qriocity is beginning today, and that online gaming, Music Unlimited, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.TV should rolling out right now in Europe and North America. Watch cool cat Kaz Hirai deliver the good news in a video after the break.
Update 2: Sony’s got a map of the US up, and will be lighting up individual states — check out our more coverage link to get a rough idea of when you’ll be able to play. The company also says it plans to have PlayStation Network fully functional by the end of May. PR after the break.
Update 3: The restoration is beginning now: we’re seeing Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and California. And would you look at that, the southeast just got its due: Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have PSN too… and as of 10:18PM PST, you can add Delaware, Pennsylvania, both Virginias, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan to that list.
Update 4: Annnnnd we should all be back. Sleep well, PSN users. By the way, Sony Online Entertainment (the MMO division) has a list of the free goodies you’ll get for your inconvenience — read it at the link below.
Update 5: Sony just flipped the international switch — PSN’s rolling out across the world.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
PlayStation 3 system update 3.61 available now, ‘phased restoration’ of PSN begins today (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It may be weeks before authorities know exactly how and why New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard died.
Baking soda is a staple in most people’s homes. If you’re not using it to actually bake, it may be in the fridge trying (and probably failing) to remove the odor. Here are some interesting uses for baking soda you may not have known before. More »
There are certainly advantages to rooting your Windows Phone 7 device, but there’s a heck of a downside too — Microsoft can’t update your handset to the latest and greatest build if you’ve unofficially patched your phone. Good to know, but what if you’ve already done the deed? That’s why you’ll want the application above, a ChevronWP7-tested, Microsoft-approved program for pulling your phone out of Bizzaro World and setting things right. Find it at our source link, follow the instructions carefully, and don’t fret if the official update doesn’t immediately appear after you’re done — developer Chris Walsh says availability of the build depends on carrier approval.
[Thanks, Brianna]
Microsoft-approved tool fixes your ‘walshed’ Windows Phone, helps you get official updates once more originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The KTLA morning show gang sent a fearless reporter a shake weight-based exercise class. You know where this is going, right? Yeah, it went there in less than a minute.
Hockey analyst and former NHL player Matthew Barnaby has pleaded not guilty to charges in what police are calling a “domestic incident” at an upstate New York home. Amherst police say the 38-year-old was arrested Friday evening and arraigned Saturday. He was released on his own recognizance.
Microsoft’s launch of its Kinect add-on motion controller camera for its Xbox 360 game console exploded back in November 2010 with a whopping 17 games supporting the device. Since then, however, the Kinect-based family of games has only seen nine additional Kinect supported Xbox 360 titles released. According to Microsoft…
We love both Android and iOS, but the open nature of Android just means it can do things others just can’t. Here are our favorite Android apps and features that you won’t find on its Apple-clad brethren. More »
As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, including this half mile drive through line outside a recently opened In-and-Out Burger. Although the person who videotaped this long lunchtime line in Allen, TX was unwilling to wait hours for fast food, it appears a rather large amount of people were. While In-and-Out Burger is pretty tasty for what it is, we aren’t sure there is any combination of novelty and fast food on the planet that would make braving this massive line worthwhile. More »
The New York Rangers on Friday confirmed the death of enforcer Derek Boogaard.
Windows 7’s marketshare continues to grow at a steady pace at the expense of its two older siblings, Windows Vista and XP, according to the data from StatCounter. In terms of global usage, Windows XP is at 46.44%, Windows Vista at 12.5%, and Windows 7 at 32.64%. Good news for…
A Halifax man has become a North American celebrity after his talking dog video got 15 million YouTube hits.
That Android 3.1 update that Google announced during I/O is slowly rolling out to 3G Xoom owners as we speak. How’d we know such a thing? Why, it just landed on our in-house Xoom, of course! Most of the changes to Honeycomb are happening under the hood — better HTML5 support, faster performance, and USB host functionality for connecting peripherals like game controllers and mice — but there are some improvements that will be a lot more obvious to the user. Perhaps our favorite is the addition of resizable widgets. For the moment only the email and Gmail inbox, calendar and bookmarks widgets can be stretched or shrunk, but we’re sure others will follow. We’re particularly appreciative of the expandable calendar widget, which always felt a tad cramped. The task switcher also received a much requested upgrade and now lets you scroll through your last 18 launched apps, instead of just the five most recent. Lastly, the Android Market now offers movie rentals, alongside books and apps, which range in price from $1.99 to $4.99 for 24 hours of playback. There isn’t a ton of revolutionary stuff going on here, but it’s certainly a welcome and worthwhile update. Check out the video after the break to see Android 3.1 in action.
Continue reading Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video)
Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Security researcher Christopher Sogohain believes Dropbox is lying in claiming that they encrypt uploaded files and keep them from employee eyes. So he filed an FTC complaint against them. More »
What should you watch next? This helpful chart of all the scifi and fantasy series available on Netflix will save you from the summer's endless loop of reality TV dancing shows. Horror, space operas, UK, anthologies — it's all here! More »
