Despite the bad press, I really enjoyed ‘Battle: Los Angeles.’ It is, after all, just a movie about war, aliens and mankind’s desire not to be exterminated without a fight.
Adobe Flash Player leaks for Motorola Xoom, we go hands-on (update: more video!)
March 18th may seem like an eternity if you expected your Motorola Xoom to come with Adobe Flash on day one. But you know what? If you put your trust in a mysterious file floating about the internet, there’s no need to wait that long. MyDroidWorld obtained possession of a leaked build of Adobe Flash Player for the Xoom, which doesn’t need root or even a preliminary update to install — you just need to check the "Unknown sources" box under Settings > Applications, sideload the file or download it from the Xoom's browser and you're good to go. The best part? Based on our preliminary testing, Flash performs exceedingly well on the Xoom's dual-core Tegra 2 processor.
While this early build of Flash was pretty choppy during HD playback, low-res video content rendered at perfectly viewable speeds, and we were able to play games (like Nanaca Crash and Canabalt) so long as they didn’t require anything more than single-button control schemes. By contrast, Hulu was a no-go (it’s still blocked), and this build has some kinks to work out when it comes to multitasking — while any single Flash site ran well and we could quickly tab between, the more Flash-heavy tabs we had open, the slower each one ran individually — which is why the video above starts out so choppy. Adobe’s UI also seemed to have some difficulty detecting when we wanted to make a Flash item full-screen. Typically, you double-tap an item to enlarge it, but sometimes that didn’t work… but with some Flash content, we found we could long-press on a Flash window to bring up a UI bar that would let us focus on it individually. Before you judge the merits of Flash on tablet, remember that this is a leaked version of a beta release, and if it’s this good out of the gate, we’re pretty excited about how well it might perform after a few tweaks. Don’t miss our video above, and find the file you need to install Flash yourself at our source link.
Update: We managed to get Flash to drop one of those context-sensitive buttons during a session of Canabalt and make the window full screen, which not only enlarged the window but also seriously sped up our little runner — probably by redirecting the tablet’s resources to our game. Photographic proof after the break!
Update 2: We’ll be shooting a second video later in the day to show how the Xoom handles Flash one site at a time.
Update 3: There’s a brand-new video after the break! As it turns out, you can make certain Flash windows full-screen by long-pressing on them, and we’ve updated the article to reflect that.
Update 4: Adobe’s confirmed that we’re looking at a leaked build of Flash 10.2, but has also asked us nicely to take our link to the Surprise_flash.apk file down, saying that performance will be further optimized by the time it officially rolls out. Read the company’s statement below.
The leaked version of Flash Player 10.2 is an earlier build than the one we will make available on Android Market on 3/18. Additional optimization work has been completed since then and we’d like Xoom customers to receive the correct build starting this Fri.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Continue reading Adobe Flash Player leaks for Motorola Xoom, we go hands-on (update: more video!)
Adobe Flash Player leaks for Motorola Xoom, we go hands-on (update: more video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Partial meltdown likely: Japanese official
A partial meltdown is likely underway at a second nuclear reactor affected by Friday’s massive earthquake, Japan’s top government spokesman says.
Man held in Springside killing
A man is in custody in connection with the killing of a woman in a home near the small town of Springside, RCMP say.
Word Puzzle Wrapping Paper For Your Wordie Friends [Gift Wrap]
Although not necessarily cheap, this word-puzzle wrapping paper is an “any occasion” wrapper which you can use for just about any gift. More »
Fox delays time travelers and dinosaurs show Terra Nova until Fall 2011 [Television]
The premiere of Terra Nova, the Steven Spielberg-produced TV show about humans traveling 85 million years into the past to escape their crappy, everything-is-dead present, has been pushed back from May until next autumn. More »
Turn on Hardware Acceleration in Google Chrome 10+ [Tweaks]
Google Chrome has allowed you to render web pages using your GPU in the past few versions, however the location continues to change (and depends on which version of Chrome you are running). More »
Samsung Galaxy Tab’s WiFi-only version rumored to cost $399, arrive on April 4th
Shocking as it might be, we still haven’t had a Galaxy Tab from Samsung that rocks nothing but the WiFis, though that seems about to finally change. The 3G-deprived 7-inch Tab, promised for Q1 2011, has slipped on its schedule a little and looks set to now hit retail in the first week of April, at the admittedly appealing price of $399. Now, we all know the tablet market of April 2011 is shaping up to be extremely rich on machines with high specs, large screens and inflated opinions of themselves, but there could still be a fine little niche for an affordable, well built slate, even if it does only run on Froyo.
Samsung Galaxy Tab’s WiFi-only version rumored to cost $399, arrive on April 4th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Japan investigates possible nuclear meltdown
A nuclear power plant affected by a massive earthquake is facing a possible meltdown, an official with Japan’s nuclear safety commission said Saturday.
Via Rail, Charest latest to condemn NHL decision
Via Rail issues a scathing letter condemning the NHL’s decision not to suspend Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.
Multi-car pile-up sends dozens to small town
The community of Midale, Sask., declared an emergency following a multi-vehicle pileup during a snow storm.
B.C. tsunami threat passes
The tsunami warning for British Columbia has been lifted, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska.
Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 10,000 apps, Microsoft WP7 updates still way outnumbered
It’s a milestone in the life of any OS: the day you reach that magical 10,000 app number. Windows Phone 7 is the latest kindred soul to achieve the feat, accomplishing the task in just over four and a half months — that’s faster than both the Android Marketplace and iTunes App Store. Microsoft’s been adding around 1,000 apps a week since it hit 5k right before the New Year, and as of late that rate’s been picking up. Congrats WP7 devs, you’ve officially issued more software updates than Microsoft itself. Your move Microsoft, we’re still waiting for copy & paste.
Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 10,000 apps, Microsoft WP7 updates still way outnumbered originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A video of the Japanese tsunami rolling through the Bay Area [Video]
Mark Demma recorded this amazing footage from Emeryville, California of the Japanese tsunami coming through the San Francisco metropolitan area. More »
NASA and Ad Astra team up to test VASIMR plasma rocket in space
Plasma propulsion may very well be our ticket to visit those little green men on Mars, which is why NASA is becoming besties with Ad Astra, makers of the VASIMR VX-200 plasma rocket. After successful terrestrial testing, the next step is to try out a VF-200 flight model in space — and a new agreement gives NASA engineers access to VASIMR while letting Ad Astra leverage NASA’s spacecraft expertise to get it into orbit. The plasma rocket was assumed to be destined for use on the International Space Station because it requires far less fuel than conventional boosters — making it better suited than the propellant-hungry thrusters keeping the station in orbit today — and can take advantage of the ISS’s considerable electrical power (250kW) to fully test VASIMR’s 200kW output. Plasma rockets produce sustained thrust, as opposed to the quick bursts of its chemical cousin, which makes it the preferred means of propulsion for space travel as well. NASA hasn’t fully committed to either use — but if Marvin and his fellow Red Planet denizens know what’s good for them, they’ll be watching VASIMR’s development with great interest.
NASA and Ad Astra team up to test VASIMR plasma rocket in space originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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“Sears has the PlayBook… to be shipped out April 10″
Of all places to find a piece of info about the upcoming release date of the BlackBerry PlayBook it’s Sears Canada. They sent out a message to their affiliates that the tablet will begin to ship on April 10th. The screenshot states that “I’m sure you’ve hear the buzz: BlackBerry is releasing the “PlayBook” – […]
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Xbox 360 IPTV rumors ride again with ‘Project Orapa’
Just because Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV service is finally supported on the Xbox 360 after years and years of expectations (as seen above) doesn’t mean the rumor mill stops, with rumors surfacing of a “Project Orapa” that reportedly combines Xbox Live, Kinect and IPTV service all in one. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley has heard from tipsters that it’s related to the previously rumored Ventura multimedia project and will let subscribers to Mediaroom powered IPTV services like U-Verse use Kinect’s gesture and voice recognition like ESPN3 already does to control their TV experience while Xbox users would get “more content.” We should find out how much of this is reality and how it ties into previous rumors pretty quickly, since it’s apparently going to be in testing this month, and available by the upcoming holiday season.
Xbox 360 IPTV rumors ride again with ‘Project Orapa’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Adobe Flash Player 10.2 for Android coming March 18th
We don’t yet have any Honeycomb tablets in Canada, but when they do launch, Flash will be there right along side it. Today, Adobe announced the general availability of its Flash 10.2 upgrade for Android 2.2, 2.3 and, in beta form, 3.0.1 on March 18th. Much ado was made about the Motorola Xoom, the first […]
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Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot… implanted in an eye
If the notion of a tiny robot swimming around in your eye leaves you a bit uneasy then, well, you might want to stop right here. For the rest of you, though, you may be interested in some new tests now being conducted by Michael Kummer and his team of researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in Zurich, Switzerland. What you’re looking at above is a pig’s eye, and the tiny black spec near the top is a microbot that’s able to roam around the eye with the aid of an electromagnetic system. While things are still obviously very early, the researchers say the microbots could eventually be used to precisely deliver drugs in humans, and treat issues like macular degeneration. Head on past the break for the video.
Continue reading Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot… implanted in an eye
Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot… implanted in an eye originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This Is the Power of the Japan Tsunami [Factoid]
It’s just a computer model of the Japan tsunami waves created by the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, but it’s scary anyway. Maybe is the use of red streams and the dark black and purple epicenter. It looks as if the planet was bleeding. More »
