Reality Bites
Whether you finally decided to shed sassyhacker957@gmail.com for a more professional handle or you want to swap Google accounts for less embarrassing reasons, Google doesn’t have a built-in system for migrating your data to a new account. So we figured it out. More »
Step aside, BlackBerrys and iPhones, the American consumer has voted with his wallet and picked Android as his favorite flavor in the quarter just gone. NPD’s number crunchers have just announced their findings for Q2 2010, concluding that 33 percent of phones sold during the period had Android on board. This marks the first time in eons (Q4 2007, to be more precise) that RIM has not held the crown of most purchased smartphone OS on US soil, with its BlackBerrys accounting for 28% of the market and Apple’s iPhone occupying third spot with 22%. Motorola and HTC are the key suspects fingered for Android’s continuing ascent, with the “large screen allure” of their handsets playing well with the buying public. Skip after the break for a more detailed breakdown.
Disclaimer: NPD’s Ross Rubin is a contributor to Engadget.
Continue reading NPD: Android is now top-selling OS in American smartphones
NPD: Android is now top-selling OS in American smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Microsoft has today confirmed that the rollout of the latest edition of their free email messaging platform, Hotmail, is now complete.
The upgrade, which began on the 15th of June, was progressively rolled out across the world as Microsoft began “upgrading server clusters, building the new indexes for conversation threading, and…
Posted by Adam de Boor, Software Engineer
Dragging and dropping files is an easy way to save time in Gmail. We’ve previously blogged about dragging files to upload as attachments and dragging images into new messages. Now, if you’re using Google Chrome, you can also drag attachments out of messages you receive to save them to your computer.
Let’s say you have an email open containing an attachment. Hover your mouse over the attachment’s “Download” link or its file icon and a tooltip appears that says: “Click to view OR drag to your desktop to save.”
Simply click and hold, then drag your cursor to anywhere in your file system that you want to save the file. Release the mouse button, and voilà! Your attachment is saved (for large files, you may see a progress dialog).
Chrome only: Google Chrome extension Foxish Live RSS mimics Firefox’s Live Bookmarks feature by creating folders on your bookmarks bar that update automatically from your favorite RSS feeds. More »
It’s been teased since WES back in April — but with the launch of the Torch today, RIM had to come clean with all the details on its thoroughly refreshed BlackBerry 6 operating system, too. Besides the obvious name change from “BlackBerry OS” to simply “BlackBerry,” the software features countless updates, most notably new universal search functionality, social network aggregation, WiFi-powered media sync with your desktop music collection, and an all-new (and desperately needed) WebKit-based browser with support for HTML5. Thankfully, RIM has also committed to bringing BlackBerry 6 as an upgrade to at least a few recent models — the Bold 9700, Bold 9650, and Pearl 3G, to be specific — “subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead.” Follow the break for the full press release and video teaser.
Continue reading RIM launches BlackBerry 6 platform
RIM launches BlackBerry 6 platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
The Blackberry Torch 9800, a sleek slider with both a touch screen and a full keyboard, is the first device to come loaded with RIM’s revamped BlackBerry 6 OS. But one interesting bit from the press release suggests that BlackBerry’s older touch screen devices won’t get the update: More »
During the lead-up to launch, one of the more talked about Windows 7 features was the new Device Stage. The idea behind the Device Stage was to allow Microsoft’s partners to build unique and branded ‘stages’ for their devices, and to improve the end-users’ experiences with those devices by providing…
Nielsen has its own angle on the smartphone numbers game out today, and the results vaguely resemble the numbers from Canalys. Perhaps more interesting than the ever present market share tug-of-war (Nielsen pegs Google, RIM, and Apple at 27 percent, 33 percent, and 23 percent in sales to new smartphone subscribers, respectively) a note on brand loyalty turns out ugly for BlackBerry: while 89 percent of iPhone owners plan on getting another iPhone, and 71 percent of Android buyers plan to re-up, only 42 percent of BlackBerry owners plan to stick around. The defectors are pretty evenly split, with 29 percent planning to go iPhone, and 21 percent to go Android. That compares to 2 and 3 percent in the iPhone and Android camps planning a move to BlackBerry. We’ll see if BlackBerry 6 can solve this little problem for RIM, but the few tweaks we’ve seen so far seem hardly capable of stemming the flow.
BlackBerry users running out of loyalty: 50 percent plan to defect to iPhone or Android originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you’ve been thinking of picking up a unibody Mac mini to use as an HTPC, you may want to hold off. Leaked specs of the upcoming Dell Inspiron Zino HD 410 have surfaced that shows it’s quite the capable device. Highlights: Quad-core AMD processor (dual-core Intel processor on the Mac mini), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, […]
A Regina man is in hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle in Yorkton on Sunday night.
We’ve already gotten a glimpse at MeeGo’s prerelease stock UI for handsets, but just like Symbian, there’s no guarantee that the experience is going to be consistent across manufacturers — and a new video apparently captured from an online survey makes it seem like Nokia might be looking to go in a slightly different direction. The one minute, twenty-nine seconds of footage walks us through five parts — starting up, the “powerful multitasking UI,” getting connected, the Ovi Store experience, and the music player — and as you might imagine, it’s the Ovi Store portion that has us feeling like this is a thoroughly Nokia-customized experience (not to mention the copyright in the lower left). It generally looks richer and more functional than what we’ve seen before, and parts — like the webOS-esque multitasking — remind us of Maemo 5’s thumbnails, which makes perfect sense considering MeeGo’s roots. Follow the break for the full video.
[Thanks, MTA]
Continue reading Nokia’s treatment of MeeGo smartphone UI revealed?
Nokia’s treatment of MeeGo smartphone UI revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Google posts an amazing 886 percent year-to-year growth in sales
Trying to snap a shot of your cherry red Mazda, but can’t keep your hands still? You’ll find all the tech you need to smooth things out in an iPhone 4 or (MotionPlus-equipped) Nintendo Wiimote. Experimenting with 6DOF inertial measurement sensor packages, scientists at Microsoft Research have developed a software algorithm that literally records your exposure-destroying shake via accelerometer and gyroscope, then magically removes the blur by canceling it out. While the technique still isn’t perfect — spot ghostly line above some of those background cars — the Microsoft researchers compared their results to other in-progress algorithms, and we think you’ll agree this new solution presents the best results by far. It’s a shame Microsoft doesn’t say when we’ll see the tech in a spiffy DSLR attachment, or better yet a cameraphone. See before and after animated GIFs after the break, and find high-res comparison images and much more at our source link.
Microsoft algorithm uses six-axis motion sensors to fix blurry snapshots, inadvertently pimping your ride originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
Slashdot | 
Microsoft Research | Email this | Comments
Lindsay Lohan has been released from jail, but is now required to immediately begin a three-month stint in rehab.
Seriously, this is the future that China’s envisioning: huge friggin’ buses engulfing smaller cars on the road. Despite the silly picture and the eccentric “3D Express Coach” branding, this cunning project by Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment actually makes sense. The idea is to make use of the space between regular-size cars and bridges, thus saving construction costs as well as minimizing congestion impact by allowing cars to drive underneath these jumbo buses. Fancy hitching a ride? You better start planning your move to Beijing’s Mentougou district, which is where Huashi will commence building its first 186km of track at year’s end. For now, enjoy the Chinese demo video after the break (translation text at source link).
Continue reading China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video)
China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
In a twitter reply by Microsoft Australia (MSAU) today, we were reminded of a Microsoft Office license term that many people aren’t aware of. The reply to a tweeted question stated that whilst the Home and Student edition of Microsoft Office is licensed for installation on up to three machines,…
Residents of Yorkton, Sask., who are still out of their homes after a flood July 1 will continue to receive disaster aid from the province.
The provincial government is holding the line on Saskatchewan’s minimum wage, keeping it at $9.25 for the foreseeable future.