BlackBerry to integrate Bing services at the OS level

Steve Ballmer made an appearance today at BlackBerry World 2011 and after briefly pimping Windows Phone live on stage, announced a partnership between Microsoft and RIM to integrate Bing into BlackBerry products. In addition to making Bing the default search and map provider for all BlackBerry devices going forward, the services will be added at the OS level instead of being bundled as a series of apps. This will provide features ranging from voice and location-aware search to panorama stitching. It also suggests that we’ll likely see another iteration of the BlackBerry OS beyond version 7 — based on QNX, perhaps? — sometime before the holidays.

BlackBerry to integrate Bing services at the OS level originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon tablet shipping later this year according to new tattle

We’ve got a pretty good inkling that it’s coming — the big question is when will Amazon finally ship an LCD tablet. According to DigiTimes, and its occasionally trusty sources at upstream component makers, when is defined by the second half of 2011. What’s more, the media tablet will feature a Fringe Field Switching LCD display and touch panel from Amazon fave E Ink Holdings, a company better known for the technology behind the Kindle’s EPD e-paper displays. According to DigiTimes, Quanta has received the manufacturing honors with production expected to peak at about 700,000 – 800,000 units per month. So yeah, the Amazon Kindle tablet won’t be sporting a Mirasol display according to this gossip. Then again, it’s only gossip so anything goes.

Amazon tablet shipping later this year according to new tattle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Working Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 spotted, handled in Germany (video)


We had a chance to peek at a glass-protected dummy version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 at CTIA, but the real thing popped up at an event in Germany over the weekend, in all its svelte gadget glory. Our friend Johannes went hands-on with the tablet in Frankfurt, and liked what he saw. The version he saw was noticeably thinner than the prototype 8.9-incher that we got to smudge up in March (it’s even slimmer than the iPad 2), and if this Europe appearance is any indication, Sammy may be on track to launch these sometime this summer, as promised.

Continue reading Working Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 spotted, handled in Germany (video)

Working Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 spotted, handled in Germany (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 22:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter acquires TweetDeck for up to $50 million

It’s been a year since Twitter made its first move into having official applications across many platforms for its service. It first acquired Atebits, a company which created the widely popular Tweetie app for iPhone and for Mac. It seems lightning does strike twice; TechCrunch is reporting that Twitter has…

BlackBerry Messenger on PlayBook hands-on (video)

We just spent some time with Ryan Bidan, senior product manager for the PlayBook, who gave us a hands-on demo of BlackBerry Messenger on RIM’s little tablet. It’s not a native app — it requires the PlayBook to be paired with a BlackBerry smartphone via BlackBerry Bridge. The functionality is being pushed out “tonight” with a Bridge update on the handset side, and an OS update on the tablet side. So if you and your PlayBook have been longing to get your BBM on, today’s your lucky day — assuming of course that you have a BlackBerry phone on another network than AT&T. Expect a standalone app sometime in the future, but in the meantime hit our video above for the full demo.

BlackBerry Messenger on PlayBook hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD debuts first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL and six displays

Disappointed by the lack of support for multiple displays and OpenCL in embedded GPUs these days? Then AMD may have just made your day. It’s just debuted its new “desktop level” Radeon E6760 discrete GPU, which packs both OpenCL support and Eyefinity-enhanced support for no less than six independent displays. AMD also notes that the GPU can be paired with its upcoming Llano APU for some additional graphics and parallel computing power and, while it might not wind up in many consumer devices, the company says it’s ideal for everything from casino games to medical imaging. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading AMD debuts first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL and six displays

AMD debuts first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL and six displays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Messenger now has 43 million active users

Back in February RIM announced that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has 35 million worldwide subscribers and 2 thousand new users were being added every hour. Today at BlackBerry World 2011 RIM shouted out a bigger number with 43 million active users with 2 million new users per month. RIM also showed that BBM saw a 110% […]

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Carriers crack down on Android tethering apps, rain on our mobile hotspot parade

Android Tethering Apps

Well everybody, it looks like the free ride is over: carriers in the US have started to seriously crack down on Android tethering apps. Head on over to the Android Market site and try to install an app that turns your smartphone into a WiFi hotspot — there's a pretty good chance you'll be told, "this item is not available on your carrier." We checked out a number of different tethering options and they were all blocked by T-Mobile and AT&T, which isn’t entirely new. Verizon has also joined the party and, while it missed at least one that we spotted, we’re sure they’ll all be gone in short order. Only Sprint has decided against banning such apps… for now. It looks like you might have to finally cough up for that tethering plan you’ve been desperately trying to avoid.

Carriers crack down on Android tethering apps, rain on our mobile hotspot parade originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI trots out 20-inch Wind Top AE2070 with USB 3.0, Wind Touch 4 UI

MSI sure is keeping itself busy with all-in-ones these days. The inexpensive Wind Top AE2050 arrived stateside a month ago, and now the company is back with the Wind Top AE2070, a more tricked-out 20-incher. This iteration also has a 1600 x 900 display, but steps up to USB 3.0 and can be upgraded to a 3.1GHz Core i3 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics. Other specs include a 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive, two three-watt speakers, a DVD burner, and a 6-in-1 memory card reader. Software-wise, it runs Windows 7 along with the latest version of MSI’s Wind Touch UI, which includes Facebook and Twitter buttons in the browser, a dedicated window for viewing photos and video, sticky notes, and weather and time widgets for the desktop. No word yet on pricing or availability, though we assume it’ll be more wallet-friendly than this.

Continue reading MSI trots out 20-inch Wind Top AE2070 with USB 3.0, Wind Touch 4 UI

MSI trots out 20-inch Wind Top AE2070 with USB 3.0, Wind Touch 4 UI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry OS 7 Features Announced–But It Won’t Run On Older Devices

This morning, RIM finally unveiled its next generation mobile operating system, BlackBerry OS 7. It’s not a giant leap forward, but RIM is detailing a faster and easier-to-use OS that comes with an integrated, voice-enabled Universal Search system.

BlackBerry fans that have been frustrated by the operating system’s chronically sluggish Web experience will be pleased to know that OS 7 offers a “significantly enhanced” browser with HTML5 video support and speed updates.

Interestingly, OS 7 won’t have any legacy support, meaning that even the current generation Bold or Touch that you bought last year will be left behind — you’ll need to have one of RIM’s brand new 9900 or 9930 devices to run it. SlashGear writes that according to RIM, “the reasoning behind the absent upgrades is that the new OS is so dependent on the hardware graphics capabilities of its new handsets.”

RIM’s new BlackBerry Balance application, though, will work on any device running OS 6.0 or later. First detailed in January, Balance is RIM’s solution for combining both your personal and corporate accounts — and all the security requirements that those require — on a single device. For example, you can wipe all of the enterprise data from your phone, while still leaving the personal accounts intact. Or, social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter can be given limited access to anything from your corporate accounts.

BlackBerry OS 7 Features Announced–But It Won’t Run On Older Devices originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 02 May 2011 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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