GadgetParade.com

brought to you by Primalogix

RIM Claws Back Against Apple and Google With Free Tablets

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

Read 

The Cloud is great place right? It's all puppy dogs and ice cream, until it isn't. We'd suspect that's what Harmony Link users who ditched their old school remotes for an iOS device are thinking right about now. You see while typical Harmony remote are only programmed via MyHarmony.com, the Harmony Link apparently requires a quick phone home to work at all. That's according to a number of users at Logitech's forums starting yesterday morning claiming their Harmony Link is now a "very nice and sleek paperweight," only showing an error when they try to turn on the TV for their not-so-super Super Bowl party tonight. While we're sure this is a temporary problem and the servers will be restored before too long, it does make you wonder why Logitech would design a solution that wouldn't work at all when a server can't be contacted.[Thanks, Kevin]Server outage turns Harmony Link into a paperweight originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Logitech support  | Email this | Comments

Read 

Phones, phones, phones: the burden of autumnal launches for a raft of handsets is that it makes our post-mortem strand a little repetitive. This week's cellular telephone du-jour is Motorola's Droid RAZR, a "7.1mm thick" slab that hopes you neither notice nor mention that 10.6mm hump on the top end. Ludicrous claims about its waistline aside, it oozes materials quality, built from Gorilla Glass, Kevlar and diamond-cut aluminum. It wasn't the most comfortable to hold in our fleshy palm, but it compensated for that with great performance and LTE. Of course, that battery could have been bigger, but where would you stick it? What would you sacrifice (and you do have to sacrifice something) in order to improve this handset? Ladies and gentlemen, it's over to you.How would you change the Motorola Droid RAZR? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat saw the light as we reported on several spellbinding new projects around the world -- including an incredible cathedral made from 55,000 LEDs and a glowing prefab pod building modeled after the genetic structure of plankton. We also showcased a luminous forest of thousands of "Frozen Trees" and a high-flying F-Light made from a recycled airplane, and also reported on Toshiba expanding its line of LEDs. Meanwhile, as the lights fire up Lucas Oil Stadium we shared seven ways Super Bowl 46 is going green, took a look at the first organic concessions ever to offered at a Super Bowl, and got things cooking with six delicious recipes for game time snacksEco transportation also blasted off from the starting line as London's first zero-emission electric taxis hit the streets, and Stanford unveiled plans for electrified roads that automatically charge EVs. We also saw Scotland launch the world's first hybrid sea-going ferries, while Agence 360 did cyclists a favor by designing a nifty ultra-compact foldable bike helmet. Meanwhile, Chevrolet announced plans to put environmental impact stickers on all of their cars by 2013, the sun-powered solarGT car set off on a race across the United States, and we brought you a gorgeous set of long-exposure photos that make speeding trains look like laser beams.In other news, renewable energy was a hot topic this week as researchers at MIT found a way to make solar panels from grass clippings, another team of scientists developed a hip-hop powered biomedical sensor and Britain mulled plans to install a new breed of radioactive waste-recycling nuclear reactors that could power the UK for 500 years. We also brought you several fun designs for aspiring little builders - a set of awesome paper robots and an industrial workbench for tots. Finally, since Valentine's day is around the corner we shared 10 red-hot gifts, along with 14 sexy sustainable skivvies.Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric taxis, paper robots and a cathedral of 55,000 LEDs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

We've all been there: fire up a clip from YouTube or a movie on Netflix and things start out great. But, then, after just a few moments, that LTE connection starts to give up the ghost and suddenly you're faced with unbearable stutturing or a video that just dies mid stream. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications are looking to solve that conundrum with DASH, or Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP. The idea is actually surprisingly simple -- files of different sizes and qualities will be available depending on signal strength and network load, and the stream will be able to seamlessly switch between them as these variables change. While this sounds like a win for both consumer and carriers, we're sure there are a few of you out there who just want the highest quality possible, even if that means waiting forever for that HD clip of the all accordion cover of Take On Me to buffer. Full PR is after the break.Continue reading DASH promises stutter free streaming video over LTE, hopes you don't care about qualityDASH promises stutter free streaming video over LTE, hopes you don't care about quality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink SlashGear  |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. When it comes to time-shifting television viewing, the conversation almost always comes back to premium streaming services -- namely, Netflix and Hulu Plus. But consumers routinely shell out more than they do for either of these services -- in fact, sometimes more than for both of them combined -- simply to have more convenient access to the television from their existing cable or satellite subscriptions. Not only that, they're often willing to put up with a large, relatively noisy (and failure-prone!) box for this privilege. That box is the digital video recorder.Continue reading Switched On: New World RecorderSwitched On: New World Recorder originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

Would you look at that? According to PhotoRumors, that chunk of retro beauty is purportedly a full-on snap of Olympus' new OM-D Micro Four Thirds shooter (from an Amazon Japan listing that's since been pulled) affixed with its optional battery grip (adding what appears to be a secondary shutter button). That, or someone knows exactly what makes us go "Oooh." The chunky '70s stylings make us fear we'd abandon our career to go become a war photographer if one of those was placed in our hands. 43Rumors believes the unit will hold a 16.1 megapixel EDR CMOS, beefier than the 12.3 sensor inside the PEN E-PL3, but we hope this new body (however beautiful it is) doesn't spell the end for the dinky PEN series. If that wasn't enough, a that Amazon listing we mentioned also pointed out a 1.44-megapixel electronic viewfinder, a tiltable OLED display on back and a total weight of 454 grams with its kit lens attached. We've got a few more shots in the gallery below, with others rocking some serious cropping, but each is more deliciously teasing than the last. Gallery: Olympus OM-D E-M5 leak gallery Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.Continue reading Olympus OM-D E-M5 shots orchestrally maneuvers out of the darknessOlympus OM-D E-M5 shots orchestrally maneuvers out of the darkness originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink The Verge, Electronista  |  43Rumors, (2), Mlzphoto, PhotoRumors, Amazon Japan (Google cache)  | Email this | Comments

Read 

In the wake of last week's fatal plane crash that took the life of its CEO, Micron Technology has appointed a successor, Mark Durcan. The former CTO has been with the company since 1984, and has -- per company bylaws -- been serving as interim chief since February 3rd. Robert Switz, the company's previous Board Director, will assume the duties of Board Chairman and Mark Adams, formerly the VP of Worldwide Sales, has been named as the company's President. In a press release announcing the appointments, the new CEO wrote that the company was "deeply saddened" to learn of the death of its top executive, and that the management team would work relentlessly to "continue to move the company forward."Continue reading Micron appoints Mark Durcan as new CEOMicron appoints Mark Durcan as new CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Bloomberg  |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

Need to take the edge off those winter blues? Perhaps Corning's, somewhat saccharine, vision of our technological future will be just the soporific tonic. Unsurprisingly, the Gorilla Glass maker sees a future where pretty much everything is a transparent touchscreen. While many of these ideas clearly appeal to our tech sensibilities, others are still very much high, high, up in the cloudy mists of concept land. Sure, a few of these ideas are starting to materialize back here in the present day, like large multi-touch panels, smart windows and of course communication displays, but for much of the rest, we'll just have to sit and wait. Or not.Corning looks to the future, mainly right through it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Android Community  |  Corning  | Email this | Comments

Read 

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of January 30, 2012Refresh Roundup: week of January 30, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

Live within the United State's borders? Fingers itching to spend some quality with Sony's latest portable gaming sensation before the First Edition Bundle lands on February 15th? Good news is here then, since GameStop has equipped "over 3,300" of its retail stores with PlayStation Vita demo kiosks. The rigs will you to score some quality hands-on time with many of its upcoming titles, including the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and wipEout2048 -- perfect if you're not sure about reserving one just yet. Hit up the source link below to find a Vita-packing location near you, and don't forget to check out our review of the Japanese variant if you need even more help making up your mind in the meantime. Full press release after the break. Update: We're hearing from many of you in the comments, noting you're finding Vitas at some GameStop locations locked-up, and for your eyes only. So heads-up: your mileage may vary. We also want to add that according to GameStop's website, it currently has 4,460 stores in US, meaning there's a very solid chance the one near you might not be included in the demo. Update 2: Also worth note, a few other folks have mentioned that certain BestBuys will also let you get paws on one. [Thanks for all the feedback, everyone.]Continue reading Sony PS Vita demo hardware drops in at US GameStop locations, lets you go hands-on (update)Sony PS Vita demo hardware drops in at US GameStop locations, lets you go hands-on (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

There are Samsung phones, there are Motorola phones. There are BlackBerry Phones, there are Nokia phones. But you know what really gets us excited? KDDI phones with ten keys and heart of Japanese Gold. It's the Engadget Mobile Podcast.Hosts: Myriam Joire (tnkgrl), Brad MolenGuests: Joseph Volpe, Dante CesaProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Tycho - Coastal Brake (Ghostly International)00:00:59 - Galaxy Nexus and other CDMA devices removed from Google Support pages00:03:58 - Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx review00:20:36 - LG Spectrum review 00:29:55 - BLU Studio 5.3 and Touch Book 7.0 hands-on 00:35:30 - Distro Issue 26: Smartwatch face-off, Ryan Block and more 00:36:40 - Samsung Galaxy S III to get separate launch event 'in the first half of 2012' 00:44:43 - Samsung Galaxy S Advance snapped in the wild, pricing in tow 00:45:25 - Is this the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus? Leaked benchmarks suggest new 1.5GHz dual-core Exynos processor 01:03:40 - BlackBerry London resurfaces in leak, sports matte black exterior, nonexistent OS 01:06:38 - Samsung Galaxy Note available at AT&T February 19th for $300, pre-orders begin February 5th 01:13:40 - Samsung Galaxy Note coming to Bell, Rogers and Telus in February01:14:00 - Sprint Galaxy Nexus registration page gets served up by Google 01:18:45 - AT&T connected Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S get Android Market Google Wallet installs01:22:48 - Windows Phone 8 detailed: dual cores, Skype Integration and NFC are a go 01:42:00 - Nokia Lumia 900 up for pre-order at Microsoft Store, $25 down puts you in line 01:43:00 - Nokia teases February 8th for Symbian Belle update 01:44:37 - Google's 'Bouncer' service scans the Android Market for malware, will judge you at the door 01:50:25 - HTC Ville gets hands-on en Francais, is presumably practicing its Spanish for MWC (video) 01:52:00 - KDDI's INFOBAR C01 coming soon: ten keys and very Japanese (video)Hear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastpodcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.Follow us on Twitter@tnkgrl @phonewisdom @engadgetmobile @jrvolpe @dantecesaEngadget Mobile Podcast 124 - 02.05.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read 

Listen up, those of you with PlayStation Network IDs. Sony Computer Entertainment International has announced that, as of February 7th, the PSN will fold into its existing Sony Entertainment Network. The company has aimed the move at clearly unifying the services of PSN and SEN, such as Music Unlimited. Fret not, however, as Joystiq notes that the change is basically a looks-only affair, meaning your current account information and related services will remain the same. Notably, the moniker refresh won't apply to the PSP, which will curiously remain under the PSN moniker for network services. The news comes as a part of SCEI's updated Terms of Service and privacy policy, both of which take effect on the same day. Those changes, by the way, appear to mainly be regarding location-based services for PS Vita, and parental controls for sub-master accounts. After all of the bad times PSN has been through, its upcoming SEN identity might just be the new outlook on (online) life it needed all along -- and hopefully with less downtime. Hit up the source link below for the full details.PlayStation Network moniker sacked, falls under Sony Entertainment Network umbrella on Feb. 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Sony  | Email this | Comments

Read 

We already got a brief introduction to the Spark Linux-based tablet, but details were a little sparse. Since then, a few more key bits of info have been added to its Q&A page, which might help sway your purchasing decision. That KDE Plasma Active UI we knew it'd be sporting will stare out at you via a modest 800 x 480 screen, and there's a 1.3 megapixel snapper tucked in alongside for video calling. The 1GHz / 512 MB internals we initially reported remain unchanged and the two USB ports and 3.5mm audio jack we saw in the pre-release picture above also get the official seal. There's talk of GPS making it into the next iteration, but for now you'll have to find your own way. The main news, however, is that pre-orders are pegged for next week, and shipping set for May. The initial focus is on Europe, but plans for it to arrive in US retailers are apparently underway. If that's suitably tickled your fancy, head on over the break and tap the source for more info.Spark Linux tablet specs updated, going up for pre-order next week originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Netbook News  |  Aseigo  | Email this | Comments

Read 

Hello there Mango fans, is YouTube just a little too lowbrow for you? Well, fret not, Vimeo is here to stream all the HD student shorts your little Microsoft-loving heart desires. The official app doesn't just let you browse, search and view clips on the site, though -- it completely integrates with your account, allowing you to upload HD video, tweak the details of your uploads and even check stats. Basically, with this app in your pocket there's almost no reason to visit the desktop site ever again. Of course, the prerequisite sharing features are also included, because, what good is capturing and uploading all this lovely video if you can't tweet it out to all your friends. Check out the gallery below and hit up the source to download it for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.Gallery: Vimeo for Windows PhoneVimeo app lands for Windows Phone, lets you upload your next student film over 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Pocketnow, The Verge  |  Vimeo (Marketplace)  | Email this | Comments

Read 

There's some more corporate reshuffling going on in the Windows Phone universe this week, now that Brandon Watson has confirmed his departure from Microsoft. Watson, who served as head of the WP Developer Experience, announced the news on his Twitter page Friday, and later told ZDNet that he's heading to Amazon, where he'll be Director of the Kindle Cross Platform team. In an e-mail to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Watson acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, but ultimately decided that "the opportunity placed in front of me that was too big to pass up." At Amazon, the exec will be charged with laying out a roadmap for Kindle app development across first- and third-party platforms, including, of course, Windows Phone and Windows 8. Microsoft has yet to announce a replacement, issuing the following statement: "We can confirm February 6th is Brandon Watson's last day at Microsoft. Brandon did a great job helping us build a vibrant developer community and we wish him well with his next adventure."Windows Phone exec Brandon Watson leaves Microsoft, headed to Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink WMPoweruser, ZDNet  |  @BrandonWatson (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Read 

Links

• Tech News
• World News
• Break The Addicition.org
• Short Range Radio.com