Archive for June 25th, 2009

In the last six months or so, the real-time web has really started to take hold. Services like Facebook, FriendFeed, and YouTube are finding ways to update their services on the fly with impressive results. But aside from Twitter, there haven’t been many sites built from the ground up with real-time in mind. Until now. Today sees the launch of Vyoom, which may well be the first robust social network to launch with real-time at its core.

The site behaves (and looks) like a mix between Twitter and Facebook. You’ll be spending most of your time in the ‘Social Stream’, which is a constantly updated list of the latest status updates posted by both your friends and other members of the site. The Social Stream is broken down into two sections: the public stream, which shows every update posted to the site by anyone, and the private stream, which shows updates posted by your friends. All updates are displayed immediately after they’re sent — you never have to refresh the site or click a ‘show new updates’ button. And if things are flowing by too quickly you can always hit pause.

Last we had heard, ASUS’ convention-busting Eee Keyboard was due to be released by the end of June but, as you may have noticed, it’s now almost the end of June and there’s still no Eee Keyboard in sight. ASUS has now finally come out and cleared up the situation, however, saying that the PC-in-a-keyboard / keyboard-in-a-PC is now due to be released sometime around the end of August. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if that’ll be the XP-based version we’ve been seeing all along, or the Moblin-based version that just cropped up earlier this month (or both), and there’s still no word on a price either.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Filed under: Desktops

ASUS Eee Keyboard now on track for August launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just spent some time talking to Sharp’s reps about that ITC ban on its LCD panels, and while they certainly didn’t sound happy about the ruling, they made it clear that it shouldn’t have too much of an effect on US consumers — Aquos TVs and Sharp professional LCD displays currently on shelves are fine to be sold, and updated models have been hitting the channel as of last month. As you’d expect, the new displays have been re-engineered to workaround the Samsung patent in question, but here’s where it gets confusing: the basic model numbers haven’t changed. Instead, the new units have an “N” at the end, so a TV like the Aquos LC52-E77U will now be labeled LC52-E77UN. Sharp says the updated models have exactly the same specs as the outgoing ones, but we’re waiting on a detailed list of spec changes — or better, a side-by-side comparison — so we can decide whether or not the HDTV equivalents of a pre-CBS Fender are floating around out there.

Update: Sharp hit us back with some revised information, so we’ve changed the post slightly.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Sharp says ITC ban on LCD imports won’t affect US consumers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heyzap, the Y Combinator startup that offers an easily-embedded widget containing thousands of Flash games, is launching a major new product today that introduces the company to an entirely new source of revenue. Dubbed HeyZap Payments, the platform offers developers a way to easily integrate a microtransaction system into their games, which could be a boon for both developers and Heyzap alike.

Up until now one of the problems plaguing small-time Flash game developers has been monetization. These games are often ripped from the sites from which they originated, so aside from ads that are integrated into the games, developers haven’t had many good ways to generate revenue. Heyzap Payments may help change this: regardless of where a Flash game is embedded, its developer will be compensated for any in-game purchases through the HeyZap platform. Co-Founder Immad Akhund says that the platform is extremely easy for developers to integrate, with a “drop-in” set of code (he says it shoud require about as much effort as integrating Google Analytics would).

Yeah, the PSPgo made the rounds at a little show you might’ve heard of called E3, but we tracked the thing down in the wilds of NY the other day, and thought you might like to see the wild slider action for yourself. We have to admit, the handheld looks better in person than it does in press shots, but only just barely. It’s perfectly playable and comfortable to hold, but it almost seems a regression in design sense for Sony. In comparison to the PSP-3000, the PSPgo feels just a teensy bit lighter, but that’s to be expected with the UMD drive kicked to the curb. At least it doesn’t feel cheap. Because it isn’t cheap. Video is after the break.

Continue reading PSPgo video hands-on quickie

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

PSPgo video hands-on quickie originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we might gripe about the style choices of HP’s consumer line, HP has done wonders for its “professional” image with the ProBook line. The new ProBook 4310s merely carries on that tradition, but it still cuts a nice figure in the flesh. While we normally like to play it safe on color choice, we have to say that the matte lid of the crimson version (pictured) really triumphs in a sea of gloss. Our only gripes are that it’s a tad bit thick and heavy — totally standard for this tier of laptop, but annoying nonetheless — and that the sharp, square chiclet keys aren’t perfect for touch typing, and are actually a little mushy in practice. We’d also much prefer some two finger scrolling to the piddling sidescrolling on offer, but we’re grumpy like that.

Filed under: Laptops

HP ProBook 4310s hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While some interesting things may or may not be happening under the hood, the freshly announced BlackBerry Tour for Verizon and Sprint (pictured in Verizon garb on the left) is hardly a departure on the surface. It mostly appears to be a minor modification to the Curve (right), though it does seem inexplicably thicker. The Bold seems positively overwrought in comparison. We didn’t get much time to play with the OS, but the screen and the keyboard are pure new-generation BlackBerry charm.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yuck! Today, I’m told, is National Handshake Day. It’s also Take Your Dog To Work Day & National Chocolate Pudding Day, apparently. And, err, it’s National Watermelon Seed Spitting Week.

But back to the handshaking thing. It’s disgusting and we need to put a stop to this medieval practice. Most people agree with me. Those that don’t are the people that don’t wash their hands after they use the bathroom. You have to decide which side you’re on.

I urge people to follow OpenCandy’s lead – no more hand shakes. A good place to start is at board meetings.

We’ve been hearing rumors about a non-game app store for the PSP since the launch of the PSP Go, and it sounds like the wheels are turning — in an interview with CNET, Sony’s Al De Leon said that while PSP content “will mostly be games, there’s an opportunity to look at non-gaming applications.” Sure, that’s not exactly a hard confirmation, but it’s certainly suggestive — maybe we’ll see something at Gamescom in August after all. Video after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Sony hints at “non-game apps” for PSP

Filed under: Gaming

Sony hints at “non-game apps” for PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The drama in iPhone porn world continues. Yesterday, Hottest Girls, the first app with nudity was accepted into the App Store. But early this morning it was made unavailable, and everyone presumed Apple was behind it. But apparently, the app has not been pulled from the App Store by Apple, but rather by the developers because of high demand.

The guy team behind the app, Allen the Geek, writes on its site:

The Hottest Girls app is temporarily sold out. The server usage is extremely high because of the popularity of this app. Thus, by not distributing the app, we can prevent our servers from crashing. Those who already have the app will still be able to use our app. To answer the question on everyone’s mind: Yes, the topless images will still be there when it is sold again. -ATG dev team

So is this BS? Is this just them covering up for Apple pulling it? I don’t think so.