Archive for September 18th, 2009

Based on what we’re hearing, a slate of soon-to-be-proposed FCC rules may stop the likes of Comcast from discriminating against P2P applications on their networks, and AT&T sure will have a tougher time justifying why it won’t let the iPhone’s version of SlingPlayer run on 3G while giving WinMo and BlackBerry users all the bandwidth they can handle. Julius Genachowski, the new chairman of the entity, is slated to discuss the new rules on Monday, though he isn’t expected to dig too deep into the minutiae. Essentially, the guidelines will “prevent wireless companies from blocking internet applications and prevent them from discriminating (or acting as gatekeepers) [against] web content and services.” We know what you’re thinking: “Huzzah!” And in general, that’s probably the right reaction to have as a consumer, but one has to wonder how network quality for all will be affected if everyone is cut loose to, well, cut loose. Oh, and if this forces telecoms to deploy more cell sites to handle the influx in traffic, you can rest assured that the bill will be passed on to you. Ain’t nuthin’ free, kids.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

FCC to propose new net neutrality rules disallowing data discrimination originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These days, the word “hybrid” gets tossed around like a rag doll. We’ve got hybrid cars, hybrid SLI and hybrid image stabilization — and that’s just for starters. But friends, this hybrid is one worth paying attention to. DFI has been working overtime in order to concoct the next great mainboard, and if this thing can really deliver as advertised, we’d say the gurus responsible for it will succeed greatly. The Hybrid P45-ION-T2A2 motherboard can actually house a complete Atom / Ion-based system on one side, while handling a traditional Socket 775 CPU system on the other. In other words, this single motherboard can power — let’s say — a low-power server system and your next gaming setup. At the same time! We’re still waiting on a firm release date and price, but ’til then, hop on past the break for a swell demonstration vid.

Continue reading Video: DFI hybrid motherboard runs two whole systems… simultaneously!

Filed under: Peripherals

Video: DFI hybrid motherboard runs two whole systems… simultaneously! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile USA’s really kicking things into high gear, coming from behind (way behind, actually) on its 3G launch to become the first to bring 21Mbps HSPA+ here — and possibly the only one to do it, considering that its closest GSM rival is leapfrogging from 7.2Mbps HSPA to LTE. Speaking at 4G World in Chicago, T-Mobile’s Neville Ray has gone on record saying that its 3G footprint will be blanketed by HSPA+ next year and is actually already up and running in parts of Philadelphia; amusingly, he was apparently a little weirded out by AT&T’s earlier comments at the show that it’d have 90 percent of its 3G coverage upgraded to 7.2Mbps by the end of 2011, suggesting that was slow (we’d agree, but then again, considering how far behind T-Mobile still lags in raw 3G coverage, we’re not sure they’ve got room to talk just yet). If we had to guess, this huge push for mega-fast data has to do with investor discontent on the Deutsche Telekom side of things, so you can bet there are some crossed fingers out in Bellevue as this stuff lights up; now, just give us the world-class phone selection to match and we’ll be good to go.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

T-Mobile starts 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in Philadelphia, nationwide in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already had a pretty clear indication that LG was about to followup its stylish BL40 Chocolate Touch with a slightly lower-end BL20 model, but it looks like any doubt has now been cast aside by a just-revealed promo video, which shows off the new New Chocolate phone in all its swishing and swooping glory. That includes a brief look at the phone’s sliding keypad (it’s red), a quick once over of LG’s various widgets, confirmation of a 5-megapixel camera, and a look a somewhat unique feature called Text Scan, which promises to let you capture clear images of notes or memos (though it doesn’t seem to provide actual character recognition). But enough with the words — there’s two minutes of sound effects and visual overload after the break.

Continue reading LG New Chocolate BL20 makes dramatic video debut

Filed under: Cellphones

LG New Chocolate BL20 makes dramatic video debut originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just spotted Toshiba’s new wireless U dynadock in the flesh, and guess what: it looks a lot like a dynadock. The good news is that wireless USB makes the whole docking concept a lot more attractive, though we’d much rather have a solution that’s integrated into the laptop — the included wireless USB dongle looks quite precarious, and kind of ruins the whole idea of not having to plug anything in. The $300 pricetag also makes this hard to swallow, but there’s a real logic to wireless docking that we hope can expand in the industry as the components become more integrated in laptops, or least a bit more miniature.

Filed under: Laptops, Networking

Toshiba dynadock wireless U puts wireless USB to good use at last originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The INQ Mini 3G is quite the intriguing little phone. It has the dimensions and outward appearance of a standard issue featurephone, yet aims to provide the multifunctional utility of the bulkier QWERTY keyboard-sporting smartphones that now roam these lands. With deep integration of Facebook, Twitter and Skype, it’s designed to be a do-it-all social networking device, so we thought we’d run a few status updates through it to see if the latest spin on an award-winning heritage lives up to its billing. Make the short journey to Engadget Mobile, via the read link below, to find out.

INQ Mini 3G review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Daily’s stumbled across a leaked document apparently addressed to webOS devs that shows a timeline for bringing paid apps to the webOS App Catalog, and one date in particular stands out: September 24 for go-live. The infrastructure’s been in beta for a while now, giving everyone some time to get up to speed on the process and iron out the bugs, but for end users, the launch will likely happen in concert with the webOS 1.2 update we’ve been expecting this month and a redesigned Catalog app designed to support payments. Now, how long before we’ve got a bazillion-dollar I Am Rich app in there?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Palm’s App Catalog getting paid apps on September 24? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to the French (who we’d like to take this opportunity to thank for Histoire de Melody Nelson), the WinMo 6.5-packin’ Xperia X2 (which we got our hot little hands on about two weeks ago) will be hitting store shelves in France “within two months” from now. The cited price, some €600 (about $880) doesn’t take carrier subsidies into account, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for that bit of information. We’re looking forward to seeing how that new OS handles itself outside of the realm of preproduction, although the resistive touchscreen nature of the device doesn’t give us much hope. Salut!

[Via OLED Display]

Filed under: Handhelds

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 to launch in France within two months? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not claiming that the suits in Round Rock really have a 187 on their hands just yet, but the evidence is mounting. For quite some time, Dell’s XPS 730 gaming PC was the outfit’s flagship unit, throwing down insane benchmarks and garnering boatloads of cash from those willing to pay the premium for cutting-edge hardware. Now, however, it seems that the lesser XPS 720 is the only classmate remaining, with all links to the 730 leading to soul-crushing “We’re Sorry…” pages. To make matters worse, Dell CSRs have apparently been telling inquisitive consumers that they have phased out the 730 and are pushing folks to select an Alienware machine instead. So, do any of you folks know of some backdoor way to keep ordering this here beast, or should we really break out the new Brand New CD and paint our eyelids black in memoriam?

[Thanks, Garry]

Update: Seems it’s still around in some corners of the globe (we’re lookin’ at you, Canada), so maybe it’s just the whiny Americans getting the shaft. Typical.

Filed under: Desktops

Did Dell quietly kill the XPS 730 gaming rig? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve spotted an early prototype of an upcoming MID from Mitac powered by Tegra and running Windows CE, and we like where it’s headed. There are actually a lot of similarities to Mobinnova’s smartbook, though we suppose it’s more of a Tegra thing: CE with a custom interface on top, emphasis on 720p media playback and output (there’s an HDMI jack and TV tuner) and what promises to be an uber-competitive price and good battery life for the form factor. Mitac also plans on selling the thing with a fold-out case / keyboard combo to sweeten the deal. The unnamed device is quite thin, but unfortunately the unit we saw was out of battery — though NVIDIA assured us it was “really cool” while it worked. Sure guys, sure.

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Mitac takes Tegra to MID-land originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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