This is, without a doubt, the best comment ever on TechCrunch. Left by “J” on MG’s latest iPhone rant about the Google Voice debacle. Beautiful.
AT&T: You want answers?
TechCrunch: We think we’re entitled to them.
AT&T: You want answers?!
TechCrunch: We want Google Voice on our iPhones.
[Via PC World]
Read -Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047
Filed under: Robots
US Air Force says decision-making attack drones will be here by 2047 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We just got a brief glimpse at the new PlayStation Eye-based augmented reality EyePet game from Sony, which is on track for a holiday release on the PS3. It’s no Project Natal, but what the game lacks in gesture-based interaction (though we were able to pet and play with the little guy pretty intuitively) it makes up for in extensive adorability. You can naturally play, feed, groom and customize your pet — even teach the thing to draw shapes and bring them to life in a sense — but it’s surprisingly fun to just watch the little dude scamper around in seemingly real space. The title will be available both as a standalone game and as a bundle with the PlayStation Eye. Check out a video of the game in an early beta state after the break, and you can find Joystiq‘s E3 impressions of the game here.
Continue reading Sony’s EyePet beta hands-on: it’s probably the most adorable thing ever
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming
Sony’s EyePet beta hands-on: it’s probably the most adorable thing ever originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
You almost have to admire AT&T’s consistency. They are consistently finding new ways to screw up almost daily now.
The latest issue involves the story we covered yesterday about apps using the Google Voice service getting pulled from Apple’s App Store. In a follow-up post, we didn’t exactly go out on a limb suggesting that it was AT&T and not Apple, that was responsible for the app being pulled. After all, word is that Apple VP Phil Schiller personally ushered one of those apps, GV Mobile, through the approval process initially. And today brings word that the apps were indeed removed at AT&T’s request. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber cites a “reliable little birdie” on the news, and we’ve just heard the same thing from a source as well.
While some found it very hard to believe that AT&T would be the ones behind something like this, given that it allows Google Voice apps on other phones on its network, those kind of contradictions are nothing new when it comes to AT&T with the iPhone. It’s the same contradiction that prevents the SlingPlayer iPhone app from working on AT&T’s network, while it works just fine on other AT&T devices. And the same one that is likely to cripple a Hulu app, if it ever gets released.
More often the object of dread than fascination, the humble bathroom scale has been given a makeover by Withings, which has injected the Connected Body Scale with WiFi and an online progress tracking system not too dissimilar from that used by Nike+. This sleek metallic device is accurate to 100 grams — oh yes, it’s metric, like it should be — and conducts a body mass analysis that can tell you the uncomfortable truth, should you care to know it. Accessing progress data can be done via a free iPhone app or the company’s website, which is also the best place to plop down the €129 ($184) entry fee. And don’t tell us you’re not interested, somebody is buying up all those Wii Fit boards and it sure as hell isn’t us. Video after the break.
Update: Withings tells us that pound measurements are also available for you eccentric old schoolers, and September should see a US release as well, so good news all around.
[Via Chip Chick]
Continue reading Withings Connected Body Scale remembers what you’d rather forget
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless
Withings Connected Body Scale remembers what you’d rather forget originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hosting provider SoftLayer was partially taken down this morning from a DDOS attack, and several well known websites, including TechMeme and TwitPic, went down with it.
The problem at SoftLayer was resolved, but some users of OpenDNS, a DNS service provider that is becoming more and more popular, still can’t reach those websites. The reason? OpenDNS caches IP addresses for domain names on a user’s computer, and they’ve cached a bunch of bad DNS entries now on these computers. This speeds up web surfing considerably, and has helped some users avoid major outages at the ISP level in the past. But in cases like today, with outages at the hosting level, the bad IP information ends up being cached for up to a day.
Users who know what’s going on can reboot their computers to clear the cache, but that’s clearly not a good overall solution. OpenDNS says they are turning on a feature called SmartCache that caches both the current and “last good” IP address, so situations like today won’t be an issue any longer.
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
If the PC marketplace were an ocean, you’d see a strange sight — small fish (netbooks) eating medium-sized fish (notebooks) eating large fish (desktops). But PC vendors are only partially pleased with this inversion of the natural order. While they embrace the replacement of desktops with higher-margin notebooks, they fear the cannibalization of notebooks with low-margin netbooks. Fast-growing and inexpensive netbooks have become such a threat to the notebook business that Intel and Microsoft have been wrestling with how they can adjust pricing in order to persuade PC makers not to market budget Atom-based laptops that have screens larger than 10″ such as the sleek 11.6″ Acer Aspire One A075 or 12.1″ Lenovo IdeaPad S12.
Slower, less expensive processors running an older, lower-priced version of Windows have put pressure on Microsoft’s Windows revenue. But rather than bemoaning consumer demand for less powerful PCs, Microsoft would do well to create more incentive to purchasing more powerful ones. Apple has partially addressed this issue by including, enhancing and promoting iMovie and GarageBand in its bundled iLife suite. These are two applications that can become quite processor-intensive when used for sophisticated tasks, like stabilizing a jumpy video.
But even more significantly, Apple has made the issue moot by creating an effective floor in the Mac product line of an Intel Core 2 Duo. Clearly that’s not an option for Microsoft, nor for many of its PC vendor partners catering to more value-minded shoppers. Indeed, Microsoft has optimized the Windows 7 kernel to run more efficiently on the lower-end netbooks that are the source for growth in the PC market. And that’s the right move.
Continue reading Switched On: Compelling computing can keep netbooks niche
Filed under: Laptops
Switched On: Compelling computing can keep netbooks niche originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We’re more used to seeing vacuum tubes on iPod speaker docks, but the Neuhaus T-2 brings some of that analog action to your computer by serving as a USB amplifier. Those among us who think MP3 compression is just a-okay will find this new device boils down to a handsome-looking external sound card, with perhaps a bit of extra oomph. For the audiophiles, already cringing in distress at the preceding sentence, we have specs: the T-2 pumps out 20W each to two channels, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 85dB and a frequency response between 10Hz and 30KHz. If you find any of that attractive, hold your racing heart in check, as the asking price is $795. We suppose it’s more affordable than the Magma, but then again so is a new car.
[Via Switched]
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Neuhaus T-2 vacuum tube amplifier turns heretic, offers USB input originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ever wonder how an SSD gets made? TweakTown’s been on-site at the Runcore facility in Hangzhou, China as of late, and hot on the heels of testing its 1.8-inch Pro IV SSD line, they’ve taken a tour of the facility to see one of them being produced. During their tour, Runcore had the 128GB 1.8-inch ZIF Pro IV drive on the line, and it’s a pretty interesting affair. The factory itself is not operated by Runcore, but you’ll get to see the high speed SMT (Surface Mount Technology) machine in action, and also get a peek of the testing phase! Check the video after the break.
Continue reading Video: watch an SSD get made at the Runcore factory
Filed under: Storage
Video: watch an SSD get made at the Runcore factory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Update: Looks like the folks at Redmond have picked the first two retail locations for its stores, and according to CNET, those lucky locales are Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California — yeah, not exactly the most exciting picks, but perhaps the local authorities were quicker to sign the leases. Unsurprisingly, the California store is in a mall where an Apple store also resides — let’s hope the two stores find themselves within earshot of one another.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Software
Microsoft confirms leaked retail store plans are legit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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