.::REALITYRECALL::.

James Cameron has reached a deal to direct the sequels to his blockbuster sci-fi flick Avatar, which will be due out in December 2014 and December 2015.

Not much more to tell you that you didn’t already pick up from the headline. Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci told Dow Jones Newswire that it will be launching its first line of tablet PCs in New York City on November 23rd, priced from $299 to $699 each. That’s all the man said, leaving us to speculate on the OS (though Android’s been heavily rumored) and whether we’re looking at the launch of an Acer 5-, 7-, or 10-inch tablet (or all of the above) priced with or without carrier subsidies. Still, with Android Gingerbread already on the lawn of the house that Google built we can expect to see a whole slew of Google sanctioned tablets launch before CES 2011 gets underway in January.

Acer tablet PC line launching on November 23rd, priced from $299 to $699 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Bruce DiBello, Software Engineer

Today, whenever you open an email in your Gmail inbox and then archive or delete it, you’re taken back to your inbox. Many of you have asked for the ability to instead go to the next conversation. Keyboard ninjas will already be familiar with the “]” and “[“ keyboard shortcuts for archiving and going to the next/previous conversation. For everyone else (and for people who frequently mute or delete conversations rather than archive them) we’re offering a new feature in Gmail Labs called “Auto-advance,” which automatically opens the next conversation after you archive/delete/mute the one you’re on.

To get started with “Auto-advance” go to the Labs tab in Settings, enable it, and click the “Save changes” button. By default, “Auto-advance” will advance to the previous (older) conversation in your inbox — perfect for people who read their newest mail first. If you usually read your oldest email first and would rather advance to the next (newer) conversation, you can change the direction from the General Settings tab.

Hopefully this will save you some time the next time you have to deal with a crowded inbox. Try it out and let us know what you think.

It’s hard to believe that what we’re looking at is real — but we assure you, the picture above is in fact the PlayStation Phone you’ve long been waiting for. As we reported back in August, the device you see is headed into the market soon, likely boasting Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread), along with a custom Sony Marketplace which will allow you to purchase and download games designed for the new platform. The device snapped up top (and in our gallery below) is sporting a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 (a chip similar to the one found in the G2, but 200MHz faster), 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and the screen is in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches. Looking almost identical to the mockup we hit you with this summer, the handset does indeed have a long touchpad in the center which is apparently multitouch, and you can see in the photos that it’s still bearing those familiar PlayStation shoulder buttons. For Sony buffs, you’ll be interested to know that there’s no Memory Stick slot here, but there is support for microSD cards.

The particular model in these shots is still in prototyping mode. As such, the unit doesn’t have a custom skin (not even SE’s Timescape design seen on the Xperia devices), and is said to be rather buggy. We’re digging into more facts as we speak, but it’s likely that much of what we reported earlier is still accurate, and though the device could still be headed for a 2010 release, 2011 is looking much more realistic. Still, there’s a lot of time between now and the holidays… so keep your fingers crossed!

The PlayStation Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LimeWire’s days of file-sharing are over after a court ruling today is forcing the company to stop distributing and supporting LimeWire’s P2P file-sharing service.

As per the court ruling, LimeWire “intentionally encouraged direct infringement” and that they were well aware they were endorsing piracy; they were marketing the program to Napster…

We knew good and well it was coming, and here it is. Microsoft has today introduced the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to the public, and for those unaware of how these software rollouts “work,” the RC release generally signals that a final build is just about ready. As previously announced, the only new features added to the SP1 are the Windows Server 2008 R2-related virtualization technologies, Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, and while Windows 7 SP1 will enable PCs to take advantage of these server-based features to provide a more scalable and richer VDI experience for end users, there are no additional new features specific to Windows 7. If that’s cool with you, there’s a source link (and a download) waiting for you just below.

[Thanks, Logan]

Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 sees public beta release originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you come across any software claiming to be ‘Microsoft Security Essentials,’ you might want to double-check before downloading it, because it may very well be a trojan.

Known as ‘Win32/FakePAV,’ this trojan reportedly does a pretty good job of disguising itself, and features many of the same displays and messages you’d see on an authentic version of Security Essentials. Once downloaded, however, the file will automatically generate false alerts, and recommend that you buy additional pieces of fake security software with names like ‘AntiSpySafeguard,’ ‘Major Defense Kit,’ ‘Peak Protection,’ ‘Pest Detector’ and ‘Red Cross.’

Continue reading Beware of Trojan Disguising Itself as Microsoft Security Essentials

Beware of Trojan Disguising Itself as Microsoft Security Essentials originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Docs just rolled out a new Charts Editor that brings some impressive new tools to Google-Docs-built charts. Those new features include organizational charts, annotated timelines, and a motion chart for visualizing data over time. They’ve also given an all-around facelift to their regular old charts. You can play with the new editor here, or just head to your Google Docs account. [Google Docs Blog] More »

Whaaaaaa?! When it comes to his company’s successes, Steve Jobs can be pretty cocky., sure. He demonstrated that recently when he decided to sit in on an Apple earnings call, taking the opportunity to call out RIM and Google. But Apple buying Sony? That seems pretty far-fetched even for Jobs on a good day.

Word is, however, that Cupertino is looking to invest some of its excess cash into the Japanese electronics giant. The rumors were enough to help bump Sony stock up nearly three percent this morning. A spokeswoman for Sony told The Globe and Mail, “We cannot comment on rumors or speculation.”

Aw, man, Sony, we won’t tell anyone. Blink once for “yes,” twice for “no.”

The rumors seem based at least somewhat on Jobs’s post-earnings call comments about the company’s $51 billion in cash, “We would like to continue to keep our powder dry, because we do feel that there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future,” he told the press.

Adobe and Disney were also listed as potential targets for Apple’s funds. That would be one way to get Flash on the iPad, I suppose.

WD’s no stranger to the media streaming game, but things apparently just got serious. Gone is the My Book-esque design that has been used on all of the units prior, and in is a sleeker, sexier box that’s quite clearly designed to slip right on top of your existing cable set-top. The WD TV Live Hub is easily Western Digital’s most feature-packed streamer yet, with a 1TB HDD within for storing who knows what locally. There’s also an Ethernet socket for pulling down content via the web or your local network, and a pair of USB ports allow for storage expansion or transfers. Naturally, it’ll handle Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Blockbuster on Demand and UPnP / DLNA streaming to your favorite game console, but the lack of inbuilt WiFi (it’s available via an optional adapter) puts a mild damper on an otherwise fantastic sounding product. It’s available immediately around the globe, with Americans able to snag one for $199.99 directly from WD or at Best Buy.

Update: Looks as if Desktop Review has a lengthy review on this guy, along with a slew of user interface shots. The botto line? It’s the best player yet from the company, though the price tag did present a bit of sadness. Hit it up for the full skinny.

Continue reading Western Digital stuffs 1TB HDD into Live Hub networked media streamer

Western Digital stuffs 1TB HDD into Live Hub networked media streamer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Falling in love takes a mere one-fifth of a second and can affect higher-order intellectual reasoning.

Firefox only: It’s not exactly Google Instant for Firefox, but InstantFirefox is pretty darned close. The Firefox add-on searches your address bar typing instantly on a customized Google page. While its looks are different, the results stay (mostly) the same. More »

Ah, there we go. Right around three months after we falsely suspected that El Goog had crossed the 100,000 mark in its Android Market, the company itself has today confirmed the passing of that line via Twitter. For those keeping count, it took but three months to go from 70,000 to 100,000 and seven months to go from 30,000 to this point. Of course, Apple’s still holding down the lead in terms of sheer numbers with close to 300,000, but there’s no question that the Android Market has nearly everything a boy (or girl, for that matter) could want. Except for a quote generator from Step Brothers. Oh, wait….

Android Market surpasses 100,000 apps: can’t stop, won’t stop growing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The reason some people can get by on just four hours of sleep while others need more than double that amount that could lie partly in the genes.

We’ve already known that Adobe would be bringing Flash Player 10.1 to Windows Phone 7, but the company has just now made that fully official at its currently-happening MAX conference (alongside its Air 2.5 announcement), and it’s also confirmed exactly which other mobile platforms the plug-in will be headed to. That includes WebOS 2.0, which we’ve already seen first hand, along with BlackBerry OS, Symbian, MeeGo and, last but not least, the LiMo platform — those will all of course join Android 2.2, which already supports the plug-in. Unfortunately, there’s still no timeline for a release on each platform, with Adobe only saying that Flash 10.1 is “expected” to hit each mobile OS. Head on past the break for the relevant snippet from Adobe’s press release.

Continue reading Adobe confirms Flash Player 10.1 is coming to BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and more

Adobe confirms Flash Player 10.1 is coming to BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrome: The TabCloud extension for Chrome selectively syncs browser tabs across computers so you can save and restore different window sessions on different machines. More »

You thought that 20% American figure was impressive? The same Sandvine traffic report says Netflix media streaming accounts for 95% of all bandwidth in Canada during peak evening hours. What is the other five percent? People signing up for Netflix? More »

Well, that didn’t take long. After hearing this morning that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab might possibly be hitting Sprint on November 14th, the carrier has come out and confirmed the date, along with some pricing details. Whereas the Verizon deal is a penny under $600 with no commitment required, Sprint’s offering the 7-inch slate for $399.99 along with a necessary two-year 3G Tablet Mobile Broadband plan (according to Phone Scoop who contacted the company, there’ll also be a $599.99 offer with no contract). That’ll run you $29.99 for 2GB and $59.99 for 5GB. Can’t wait to see what price the GSMers might offer? Pre-orders start today.

Galaxy Tab for Sprint confirmed for November 14th: $400 with two-year contract originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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