Samsung Series 9 hands-on preview (video)

Do we deliver or what? Just as promised, we went back for seconds with the Samsung 9 Series laptop, and man, it is one beautiful laptop. As you already know, it is incredibly thin, but it also has a very rigid construction thanks to its duralumin build. (Fun fact: apparently they build planes out of the same stuff.) As you will see in the video below, the design is very clean and the sharp edges have been designed to make the system look even slimmer. The lead designer of the system YeoWan Yun told us that the 9 Series was inspired by nature’s beauty, including waves, leaves, and water. But it’s not just the outside of the system that’s beautiful — the matte 400nit, 13-inch display is incredibly bright and crisp and the viewing angles are just top notch. Below that screen is one very nice chiclet keyboard with matte keys. Sammy’s gone with a single button ClickPad, which in our short time with the laptop seemed fine for navigating with our index finger while keeping our thumb on the bottom. Naturally, we weren’t able to get a real sense of the Core i5 performance, but we did notice that the system resumed from sleep rather quickly thanks to its 128GB SSD. Truth is we haven’t been this excited about a Windows ultraportable since the Dell Adamo XPS, we just hope the 9 Series really brings the brawn and battery life with the beauty.

Continue reading Samsung Series 9 hands-on preview (video)

Samsung Series 9 hands-on preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford SYNC Destinations hands-on (video)

There was a time when we studied maps to figure out where we were going. Then there was a time when we went online and printed out directions before we left. Now we pretty much just jump in our cars and put all our faith in the Lady of the Dash (clad in shimmering samite), but Ford wants to give you a little more control over her. Back when it was still 2010 (barely) the company announced SYNC Destinations, enabling you to plan your route in detail before you even get in the car. Now we got a chance to play with it and, while it’s simple, it certainly does seem useful. Check out the video after the break.

Ford SYNC Destinations hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype buys video service Qik in $100 million deal

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

Skype said Thursday that it had acquired streaming video service Qik for an undisclosed amount, believed to be around $100 million USD. The VoIP provider says it plans to use Qik’s technology to enhance its own video calling functionality.

Qik was founded in 2006 and is compatible with about 200 phones across several platforms including the iOS, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile platforms. The company has also struck several partnerships to have its applications come preloaded on select devices.

The concept is simple: the user shoots video with his or her camera phone, which is then uploaded to Qik’s servers and delivered in near real time via the company’s website. The user also has the option to share the video via social networking.

“Qik’s deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype,” Skype CEO Tony Bates said in a statement. The company did not disclose whether it planned to continue offering Qik’s standalone application or fold its capabilities into Skype.

Bolstering Skype’s video sharing capabilities seems like a solid move considering the increasing popularity of such applications including Apple’s FaceTime and other video sharing apps like Knocking and UStream.

In related news, Skype also announced its own video capabilities had been improved. The application will now support videoconferencing for up to 10 parties for $8.99 per month, as well as announcing new partnerships with Sony and Vizio to build Skype into televisions and other consumer electronics.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010



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This week in Docs: Video player in the document list

Happy New Year! We’re starting this year by making it easier to view memories from 2010 that you’ve uploaded to your document list directly in your browser. Just click on a video in a supported format and press play.

Please note that some videos uploaded earlier last year might not have been processed yet and will be available soon. Also, newly uploaded videos may take some time to process before they are available for viewing.

So what are you waiting for? Press play!

Posted by: Patrick Lacz, Software Engineer

Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets: a guided tour of the UI (video)

A funny thing happened after Google posted (and subsequently pulled) its Android 3.0 Honeycomb video: T-Mobile celebrated its G-Slate announcement by posting the same video. And about six more after that (to be fair, they’re also on the Motorola / Verizon Xoom we demoed). Today it was made official during Verizon’s keynote, with Google itself narrating a hands-on demo. We’ve scrutinized these videos to no end and we think we’ve come up with the most complete picture of Google’s tablet OS experience at this point. Join us after the break for all the goods.

Continue reading Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets: a guided tour of the UI (video)

Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets: a guided tour of the UI (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honeycomb will not require dual-core CPU as minimum hardware spec

Oh, never mind then. Google’s ever-informative and ever-knowledgeable Dan Morrill has disabused the world from the bogus belief that Android’s “made for tablets” iteration, aka Honeycomb, will require a dual-core processor as a minimum to run. Dan says there are no specific CPU requirements for aspiring Android 3.0 tablets to meet and we should all sit back, relax, and enjoy our breakfast. That’s reassuring to note, but let’s not read more into it than what’s said — while Honeycomb might not technically require a dual-core beastie to power it, there’s a reason why the Motorola Xoom (which is soon to become the first device to offer Honeycomb onboard) is launching with a Tegra 2 chip inside.

[Thanks, Dean]

Honeycomb will not require dual-core CPU as minimum hardware spec originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the ‘Surface 2.0 Experience’ you still can’t buy (video)

Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the

It’s been years since Microsoft first wowed us with Surface, years that we’ve been looking at cool applications for the smart tables, but still Microsoft thinks you aren’t ready. Or aren’t rich enough, anyway. Samsung has unveiled the “SUR40 with Microsoft Surface,” a third-party implementation and what’s being called the “2.0 Experience.” On the outside things look a bit different, with a variety of pedestals that the thing can be mounted to, including one with two wood panels that flow up to cradle the display. But, if you like, the 40-inch, 1080p screen and the 2.9GHz AMD Athlon II X2 processor and Radeon HD 6700M behind it is now wall-mountable, meaning it really isn’t technically a smart table at all. Up top the interface looks more polished and refined, and naturally Windows Phone 7 support has been added, as you can see in the video below. It all looks rather good, we think, but it’s all rather focused on businesses as ever.

Continue reading Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the ‘Surface 2.0 Experience’ you still can’t buy (video)

Microsoft and Samsung unveil SUR40, the ‘Surface 2.0 Experience’ you still can’t buy (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung 9 Series and Sliding PC 7 Series quick hands-on (video)

It’s been a crazy day, but we hope you didn’t miss Samsung’s Sliding PC 7 Series. The little laptop / tablet hybrid does just what the name suggests, with the display literally sliding over the keyboard. Of course, we had to get video of it in action, which you can enjoy after the break. Some pictures are below, too, both of the 7 Series and ultra-thin 9 Series. Needless to say, we’re going back for seconds.

Continue reading Samsung 9 Series and Sliding PC 7 Series quick hands-on (video)

Samsung 9 Series and Sliding PC 7 Series quick hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canadian fans deflated by world juniors loss

Canadian fans are expressing frustration over Team Canada’s stunning 5-3 loss to the Russians in the gold-medal match of the world junior hockey championship, with many feeling the teen Canucks let up after taking a three-goal lead.