Archive for September 18th, 2009

Zacks Investment Research is reporting in a matter-of-fact tone that AT&T’s long-rumored, long-desired 3G Microcell femtocell will be hitting some markets “in the next week.” The full list of initial launch areas hasn’t been disclosed, but Atlanta, San Antonio, Seattle and North Carolina are all specifically mentioned; as you might recall, Sprint restricted the launch of its Airave for some time, too, so limited availability out of the gate wouldn’t really come as a surprise. AT&T had no comment when asked about the report, so it’s a wait-and-see game — but if you’re clinging to one bar of service, have hope that help is on the way.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

AT&T launching 3G Microcell in some markets in the next few days? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url =’http://digg.com/tech_news/Phil_Schiller_rejected_Google_Voice_from_the_App_Store’; It was always curious that Google’s response to the FCC inquiry about Google Voice and the App Store had been redacted, but now we’re starting to see why — El Goog and the FCC have just released the full text of the letter, and it flatly contradicts Apple’s take on the matter. If you’ll remember, Apple claimed that while Google Voice hadn’t been approved, it also hadn’t been rejected, and that its status was in limbo while the folks in Cupertino “studied” the matter. Not so, says El Goog: according to its letter, Phil Schiller himself told Google that GV had been rejected on July 7 for duplication of functionality, following a similar conversation on April 10th during which Schiller rejected Google Latitude in part because it might “offer new features not present on the preloaded maps application.” Yeah, that’s a huge discrepancy, and it makes Apple’s version seem even more divorced from reality that it already is. Things are starting to heat up — we’ll see what the FCC makes of all this.

Update: And here we go — Apple just pinged us to say the following: “We do not agree with all of the statements made by Google in their FCC letter. Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google.”

Update 2: So we’ve been thinking about it, and here’s our question — if Apple didn’t reject GV, and is still studying it, what exactly did Phil Schiller say to Google to make them think it had been rejected? The difference between “rejected” and “on hold pending further discussion” isn’t a subtle one, and Google clearly thought GV had been explicitly rejected. For whatever it’s worth, reports of GV’s “rejection” are how this whole mess got started, so either this is all one huge misunderstanding, or someone here isn’t telling the entire truth.

Read – Google unredacted FCC filing [Warning: PDF]
Read – Google Public Policy Blog explaining decision to release letter

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Google says Phil Schiller himself rejected Google Voice from the App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll confess — only a few Engadget staffers are still hanging tight to see if Heroes will ever become the flagship show that it looked to be in season uno, but there’s no denying that the whole crew will be watching the premiere that drops on September 21st. Why? ‘Cause evidently there’s a ridiculously large, presumably GSM-based Palm Pre making an appearance, and it’ll be showing off the newest webOS feature: an updated ‘Contacts’ card. We could be off base here, but it looks as if the new card will sport psychedelic graphics and Japanese expressions when someone dials in, though we’ve a tough time believing anyone in real life ever secured one of those mythical ’555′ numbers.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Filed under: Cellphones

Ginormous Palm Pre shows new Japanese-only ‘Contacts’ card in Heroes promo originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An article appeared in Forbes the other day that we found very interesting indeed. The gist? That our current economic hiccup is ending (we’ll believe that when we see it) and if Dell plays its card right it can capitalize on the imminent post-recession uptick in sales that’s sure to come as companies start clamoring to tend to their long-neglected technology. And the key to such a strategy? Newer, sexier gear, such as Dell’s long-rumored, not yet confirmed Latitude Z notebook. The premium machine is said to feature a 16-inch display and “most likely, advanced wireless capabilities, perhaps even wireless charging.” Apparently we can expect the machine to launch within the next few weeks, at a price point that is yet to be determined — although we’re guessing it ain’t going to be cheap.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Latitude Z series to include wireless charging? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI’s X-Slim X400 made quite the splash alongside the X340 and X600 earlier this year, but now it’s time for the slighted middle child to get an upgrade. Upstaging both of the aforementioned siblings, the refreshed X410 gets powered by AMD’s Athlon Neo processor and also packs an ATI Radeon X1250 GPU, 14-inch LCD (1,366 x 768), up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1.3 megapixel camera, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth, an HDMI port, an SD card reader and a 320GB or 500GB hard drive. There’s also a pair of USB 2.0 sockets, a VGA output, external DVD writer (or Blu-ray drive, if you’d prefer) and a 4- or 8-cell battery to boot. Per usual, MSI isn’t doling out pricing or release details just yet, but we’re betting a pre-holiday ship date is practically a lock.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Laptops

MSI slides out 14-inch Athlon Neo-equipped X410 laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Any time a good conundrum is solved there’s bound to be mixed feelings — and The Case of the Mysterious Android MID was certainly no different. Has it really only been a month? Certainly you remember the affair — how pictures (and eventually video) of this handheld Internet device, running Android, kept popping up all over the place? Well, we were somewhat comforted to discover that it was a Rockchip-powered concept device, although at the same time we felt a little cheated: how dare RAmos flaunt such a thing and fail to deliver? But not so fast! According to a teaser that’s made its way to us on the Internet machine, a press event scheduled for September 25th will feature some combination of: “Android” and “ramos digital.” Whether or not its the Rockchip-powered device we’ve been taunted by remains to be seen, but it’s definitely a fair guess to say that it will be. Besides, RAmos, after Apple’s recent iPod event, we need this.

[Via Pocketables]

Filed under: Handhelds

RAmos Android event scheduled for next week, mystery MID getting real? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen quite a few a) laptops and b) masterpieces in our day, but it’s hard to recall the last time that we saw both in the same instance. Have a look at the object above, which is undoubtedly one of the most amazing pieces of laptop art this planet has ever had the pleasure of seeing. Kenny Irwin, known for his post-microwave creations, decided to zap one of the low-cost PCs and then mold it into the OLPCSlug while things were still gooey, all in the name of good publicity and charity. You see, the buyer of this lovely piece will see 80 percent of the proceeds head straight to OLPC, and given that it will also “help keep you safe from forest beasts of unimaginable size,” those currently situated in backwoods retreats have an extra reason to plunk down. The only problem? That $26,001 asking price. A can’t-miss demo video is after the break.

[Thanks, Robert]

Continue reading OLPC gets microwaved, molded into stunning piece of art

Filed under: Laptops

OLPC gets microwaved, molded into stunning piece of art originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Razer Naga MMO mouse (and Megasoma mat) unboxing and hands-on

Filed under: Peripherals

Razer Naga MMO mouse (and Megasoma mat) unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There is certainly no shortage of humanoid robots conspiring to attack your savings, but few look to offer the combination of tiny size and amazing dexterity of the Robovie-nano, the little guy from Vstone who is now shipping to would-be Dr. Frankensteins. He’s just 230mm tall (about nine inches) and weighs 575g (about a pound and a quarter), but looks to be at least as nimble as larger forebearers and is far cheaper than most, costing just ¥49,350 ($540) to start — less than a set of those sweet robot hands we spotted last week. For that you won’t get the optional “gripper shaft” mitts shown above, or the paintable Lexan bodywork he sports in the video after the break, but nobody ever said a robot needs clothes, right?

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Video: Vstone’s tiny Robovie-nano robot drives the lane, jumps, shoots, scores retail availability

Filed under: Robots

Video: Vstone’s tiny Robovie-nano robot drives the lane, jumps, shoots, scores retail availability originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever wished that those buttons on your videogame controller were over here instead of over there, you know who to call. Master modder Ben Heck’s latest creation isn’t his most amazing, but it fulfills a need for one gamer, that is to “make the shoulder buttons easier to get at.” The result is a somewhat inelegant mod (by Heck’s standards), bringing the L and R buttons to the fore, ditching the “last generation” rumble motors in the process. No loss, right Phil Harrison? Video demonstration after the break.

[Via technabob]

Continue reading Ben Heck moves PS3 shoulder buttons to the front, spins us right round, baby, right round

Filed under: Gaming

Ben Heck moves PS3 shoulder buttons to the front, spins us right round, baby, right round originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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