See-through displays may or may not be making a comeback, but NTT DoCoMo is at least trying to give them a different spin. Working with Fujitsu, it’s added a Vita-style extra touch panel to the rear of the screen, which works with the transparency to let the user navigate Android without ever obscuring the UI with their fingers. It also allows new types of interaction based on “gripping” objects — holding down a finger at the back to modify the effect of a swipe on the front. The prototype was actually announced a little while back, but DigInfo has a video (embedded after the break) that shows how it works in practice — just don’t expect to be enjoying Netflix on that washed-out QVGA display anytime soon.

Continue reading Double-sided transparent touchscreen shown off on NTT DoCoMo prototype (video)

Double-sided transparent touchscreen shown off on NTT DoCoMo prototype (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a departure from its traditional sound cards, Creative has just unveiled a line of Bluetooth speakers with built-in mics, called the Sound BlasterAxx range. Yes, these are the pun-heavy ones we anticipated last week, but now we have a lot more detail. There are three different sizes of speaker, but only the larger two (the SBX-20 and SBX-10) are Bluetooth — the smaller and cheaper SBX-8 must be tethered. All contain the new SBAxx-1 hardware processor, and even the SBX-20 can be powered over USB from a mobile device (with sufficient current output) or a power pack. The speakers are designed to bring Creative into the Internet Age with a number of voice-enhancing features for video chat apps like Skype. These include highly-focused directionality and noise reduction, to frame out peripheral sounds, and also Smart Volume, which automatically adjusts audio levels as you move closer to or further from the mic. This same processing technology is also claimed to assist with voice-recognition platforms like Siri when you use a Sound BlasterAxx speaker to communicate with your device instead of its regular microphone. There’s also some quirky stuff like comic voice effects, just in case you’re not embarrassed by how you sound on a mic already. The SBX-8 and SBX-10 will be available in the UK from early July for £80 and £130 respectively, while the flagship SBX-20 will arrive in August for £180.

Update: Now with added gallery and video after the break!

Continue reading Creative announces Sound BlasterAxx wireless speakers with mics (update: hands-on!)

Creative announces Sound BlasterAxx wireless speakers with mics (update: hands-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 07:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swollen with cash following its IPO, Facebook is looking to expand its headquarters in Menlo Park. Its plan to triple its workforce there from 2,200 to 6,600 people was approved by local officials last night, removing the previous cap that allowed a maximum of 3,600 messy, resource-consuming humans. In lieu of the added burden on the city, Facebook will have to contribute $850,000 per year for ten years, plus a one-time payment of $1,000,000. The start of a surge towards greater products and profits, or the beginning of a complacent corporate decline? We’ll let the stock market decide.

Facebook allowed to triple size of its HQ, pays $10 million for the privilege originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 05:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC-branded crates have been trickling through customs for ten days already, following a total clamp-down earlier in May, but it’s only now that they’re able to pass through without lengthy extra checks. The manufacturer says it has “completed the review process with US Customs” and that it is “confident that we will soon be able to meet the demand for our products.” That obviously raises the question as to why the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE devices were held up in the first place. The ITC had earlier ruled that HTC infringed on an Apple patent about data detection, concerning a handset’s ability to recognize and move around personal data, for example between the contact entry and the calendar, and it had given HTC until April to remove that feature. HTC agreed to that, but it appears customs officials initially needed to check every box to ensure that products arriving in the US were of the compliant type. Meanwhile, the LTE part of the EVO 4G is still waiting for its luggage.

Customs stops delaying HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE devices after ‘review’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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4K in the UK? It could happen sooner rather than later, if viewers give a thumbs up to feedback tests currently being conducted by a British broadcaster. According to a senior figure at a company that is directly involved in the experiments, people are being asked if they can spot the difference between 4K and regular 1920 x 1080, which will help to decide whether the format is worthy of immediate investment. Our source refused to reveal which broadcaster is running the show, beyond saying that it has complete control over its pipeline right down to the set-top box, which hints at Sky or perhaps Virgin being likely candidates. When asked how 4K TV might be transmitted as a mainstream service, given that it contains four times the resolution of Full HD, he simply replied that the broadcaster would “compress the hell out of it,” which surely only cements his credibility. Next stop, 8K.

4K TV already being trialed by one UK broadcaster originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that Compal franken-gadget reference design we saw at CES? Well, something quite similar looks to be heading to Computex and thence to market, courtesy of Chinese manufacturer CZC Tech. The company has loaded up its Transformer-style 13.3-inch U116T with Ivy Bridge and HD 4000 graphics, the world’s favorite resolution, 4GB RAM and a choice of SSD capacities. On the connectivity front you’ll get one each of USB 2.0 and 3.0, a memory card slot, audio jacks, SIM slot and an optional fingerprint scanner for people who don’t like sharing. What’s more, all that technology is housed in the display component — the detachable keyboard itself will apparently only add an extra battery. On the software side, CZC is promoting Windows 7 alongside a bit of future-proofing, which means the only thing left to discover is the price, availability and whether this device will have anything like the astonishing lightness of that fiber glass Compal.

The CZC U116T: it’s an Ultrabook, it’s a hybrid and it’s hopefully coming to Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scalado‘s latest 99 cent app for iOS only does one little thing, but it does it well. Its singular mission is to let you share an image from your Camera Roll to any web-connected display in front of you, without having to navigate through a more sophisticated file-sharing platform or use extra hardware on the receiving device. That recipient can be anything — a smart TV, tablet, PC, Mac, games console, whatever — so long as it has a browser pointed at the Photobeamer homepage. That page displays a QR code, which provides all the clever linkage you need: you simply load up the app on your mobile, pick the image you want to share, and then point the rear camera at the QR code to beam the image across via the web.

Having given it a quick test, we’d say it’s definitely up to regular domestic challenges where you just want to display a few photos rather than perhaps videos or presentation slides, and where there’s no need to print or store shared images. You can swipe left and right between different pictures in your gallery, and also choose whether you want those images to be fitted to the recipient display or resized to fill it. There’s a video after the break to help you decide if that’s worth a dollar, while the Photobeamer app itself waits patiently at the iTunes link below.

Continue reading Scalado Photobeamer for iOS brings rapid photo sharing to any web-connected display (video)

Scalado Photobeamer for iOS brings rapid photo sharing to any web-connected display (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spare a thought for Google Wallet users who have learned this the hard way, but at least you won’t have to fall into the same little-known trap. Essentially, if you have a Galaxy Nexus, HTC EVO 4G LTE or any other compatible handset and you perform a factory reset, there’s a high chance you’ll spoil the secure element that is designed to protect your NFC chip from tampering. This disables Google Wallet and it seems there’s no fix once that happens, other than calling up a friendly (and hopefully interactive) customer service agent. However, there is a way to prevent it: before factory resetting, you have to go into the Google Wallet app, choose ‘Menu’ then ‘Settings’ and ‘Reset Google Wallet’. There it is — simple enough, but evidently not advertised enough by Google or the phone manufacturers themselves.

PSA: Resetting your phone risks upsetting Google Wallet, unless you do it right originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 06:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maybe our skeptic’s goggles have fogged over with excitement, but there’s something mightily interesting about an entry over at GLBenchmark. First off, the model number and listing info vaguely suggest it could be a variant of the LS970 superphone rumored for Sprint, aka the LG Eclipse, although the ICS build (“geeb_att_us-eng 4.0.4″) indicates this 1.5GHz device is one of Ma Bell’s. One of the more unusual specs offers some corroboration: the Adreno 320 graphics, which only come in the souped-up Pro or quad-core variants of Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon S4 chipset. That would make the LE970 a rare breed indeed, but unfortunately that’s about all we can learn at this point. The actual benchmark scores tell us nothing about the handset’s performance other than that it can max out the Egypt Standard test despite its 1280 x 720 screen — making it impossible to compare it to regular Snapdraon S4 phones like the HTC One X on AT&T or the HTC One S. Oh well, where are those lens wipes?

Update: An earlier version of this post confused the benchmark results with the Egypt Offscreen test — apologies for the error.

[Thanks, Ketul]

Mystery LG LE970 claims next-gen Adreno graphics, can’t quite prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a strange feeling, receiving such a keenly anticipated phone to review. The hubbub of launch events, hands-on previews and heated debates suddenly dies away, leaving you with one small and intensely silent cardboard box. In this instance, the packaging contained the “marble white” version of the Galaxy S III (not the more daring “pebble blue”) alongside one burning question: apart from all the hype, do this handset’s paper credentials translate into a product that is worthy of serious cash and a 24-month commitment?

Those credentials are certainly more subtle than those of other recent devices. There’s no unusual camera, stand-out display or unibody build. Instead, we get an abstract design statement about the phone being “inspired by nature” alongside a list of incremental hardware improvements such as a quad-core processor, as well as fresh additions to Samsung’s customized Android 4.0 skin. As it turns out, these specs forgo immediate swagger in favor of creating a solid workhorse of a smartphone that is intent on attracting a long-term following. Read on and you’ll discover just how it pulls that off.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III review

Samsung Galaxy S III review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Sony cut off its supply of capital to the ill-fated Sakai production plant that it jointly owns with Sharp, it became clear that the final goodbye may be little more than a formality. And here it is, in the form of a cold, resolute press release stating that Sony is selling its seven percent stake back to Sharp and taking back the 10 billion yen ($126 million) it originally invested. The only reason given is the “rapidly changing market for LCD panels and LCD televisions,” which is a polite reference to the fact that profits from big TVs are well below what these companies predicted back in the heady days of 2008 and early 2009, when the impact of the global economic crisis loomed without yet being fully apparent. Fortunately for Sony, which is in the delicate stages of reform, the solid pre-nuptial agreement it had in place with Sharp should protect the company from having to revise its financial forecasts for the coming year — not that those were particularly great in the first place.

Continue reading Sony formally quits Sharp LCD joint venture, takes back every yen it invested

Sony formally quits Sharp LCD joint venture, takes back every yen it invested originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It can’t go faster than 34MPH and it’s already a year late for its planned deployment in Afghanistan, but Northrop Grumman’s Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is now set for its maiden flight. The test run is scheduled for sometime between June 6th and 10th over Lakehurst, New Jersey, whose residents ought to be forewarned that it is not a solar eclipse or a Death Star, but simply a helium-filled pilotless reconnaissance and communications airship that happens to be the size of a football field. After floating around for a while, the giant dirigible is expected to journey south to Florida, where it’ll be fitted to a custom-built gondola that will carry the bulk of its equipment, and by which time her enemies hopefully won’t have come into possession of an air force.

Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, ‘multi-intelligent’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yep, it’s party-time in Beijing once again. While the PC industry as a whole reportedly grew by a tight handful of percentage points over the past year, Lenovo has somehow managed to continue its long-running growth spurt, with shipments up 44 percent and operating profits up 46 percent. Sales of both laptop and desktop (including IdeaCentre all-in-ones) grew roughly equally, helped along by blossoming demand in emerging markets, while fledgling smartphones and tablets also proved popular in Lenovo’s homeland. The manufacturer reckons it’s now second in command of the market behind HP, although it conveniently disregards Apple’s iPad from its ranking.

Lenovo beats PC market with 46 percent profit surge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you’re running late, you’re weighed-down with DIY in-flight entertainment and your gate number gets switched at the last minute, the last thing you need is a real-life human trying to be helpful. The Port Authority knows that, which is why it’s promising to install “computerized, hologram-like avatars” in La Guardia, Newark and JFK terminal buildings by early July. The virtual assistants aren’t actually holographic — judging from the video after the break (courtesy of Transportation Nation), they appear to consist of either projected or LCD video displayed on a vaguely human-shaped static board, although given their reported $250,000 price tag we might (hopefully) be missing something. Oh, and they aren’t even interactive, unless you try to push them over.

[Photo Credit: Jim O'Grady/WNYC]

Continue reading Customer service avatars coming to JFK, La Guardia, Newark airports (video)

Customer service avatars coming to JFK, La Guardia, Newark airports (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While others push for ever-smaller processors to power the so-called Internet of Things, AMD’s new R-Series chips are designed to go the other way: upgrading devices that are already hooked up but that could benefit from more graphical whizz. These embedded processors have the same Piledriver and Radeon HD 7000 internals as their Trinity cousins, but they’re intended for digital billboards, casino gaming, payment systems and other applications that need to present a pretty picture to the end-user. In addition to visuals, they can also use their built-in GPUs to speed up encryption / decryption and support parallel-processing tasks like medical imaging, multi-camera surveillance and, you know, serious stuff. A number of manufacturers have already adopted the new chips, but perhaps the only place you’re likely to be aware that you’re using one is if you happen to buy an R-Series equipped mini-ITX motherboard.

Continue reading AMD launches R-Series chip for next-gen casinos, surveillance systems, distractions

AMD launches R-Series chip for next-gen casinos, surveillance systems, distractions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heavens, it’s already time for another Linux kernel refresh. We’re now looking at 3.4, which is available for download now. Whereas the last version was all about green robots, this update focuses on support for the latest processors and graphics cards, including AMD’s Trinity and Radeon HD 7000-series, NVIDIA’s Kepler stack, plus the graphical component inside Intel’s Medfield mobile chip. As if that wasn’t enough, there are plenty more changes at the source link, along with a serene missive from the man himself.

Linux kernel 3.4 is out: supports Trinity, Southern Islands, Kepler, Medfield and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 07:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look out, savvy graphics card buyer: just because it’s labelled ‘GeForce’ and starts with a ’6′ doesn’t necessarily mean it benefits from NVIDIA’s premium 28nm Kepler architecture. We’ve already seen rebadged mobile chips with last-gen 40nm silicon, and now entry-level desktop cards are arriving on shelves that will stretch Fermi’s expiry date even further. There are no price tags as yet, but according to AnandTech the ‘new’ GeForce GT 610 is a repackaged GT 520 with 48 CUDA cores and an ever-so-polite 29-watt power draw. The GT 620 is a GT 530 with a 49-watt TDP and twice as many CUDA cores as the 610 — although a meager 64-bit memory bus will put a cap on any performance gains. Finally, the GT 630 is a 65-watt GT 440 in all but name, with a 128-bit memory bus width allowing its 96 CUDA cores to be fully exploited. This latter card shouldn’t be confused with the OEM version of the GT 630, which does actually pack Kepler. Bewildering, right? We’ve quizzed NVIDIA over its strange rebadging tradition and were told that the company simply numbers its products according to raw performance, rather than freshness or chip type — which sort of makes sense so long as you don’t dwell on it.

NVIDIA outs budget GeForce GT 610, GT 620 and GT 630, no Kepler in any of ‘em originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why are folks so keyed up about 4K? At first glance, that’s the type of question that answers itself: by definition, a 4096-pixel wide image delivers around four times the resolution of 1920 x 1080, and that’s a healthy multiple. It’s actually of a broadly similar magnitude to the difference between 1080p and old-fashioned analog NTSC video, and nobody these days questions the value of that upgrade. On the other hand, there must come a point where pixels cease to be visible in a home theater environment, such that buying more of them at inflated prices stops being worth it. Sure, 4K can be a big help with 3D footage, because it boosts the resolution to each eye — something we experienced with the REDray projector. But what about regular 2D material, which is still very much the default viewing option? That question’s been nagging at us, so when Sony invited us back for a second look at its 4K projector, the VPL-VW1000ES, this time with full-throttle native 4K source material rather than just upscaled 1080p, we turned up with a tape measure. Read on for what came next.

Continue reading This is what native 4K home cinema looks like on Sony’s VPL-VW1000ES projector

This is what native 4K home cinema looks like on Sony’s VPL-VW1000ES projector originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just when you thought you could go on rooting and switching ROMs with impunity, it turns out you can’t — at least, not if you want to continue enjoying your Google Music account. Watchful eyes at XDA Developers have discovered a snag in Google’s authorization system, which means that not only is there an upper limit of ten devices that can be authorized simultaneously, but there’s also a limit of four de-authorizations per year. Since every time you flash your phone or tablet counts as a new authorization, and since your other devices probably hog a few tickets already, rooters will quickly hit the ten-device limit, at which point they’re going to have to think long and hard about their de-auth strategy. Is that a ration of one flash per quarter? But then what happens if you buy a new device in a few months’ time? Oh, this is too much.

[Thanks, Aman]

PSA: Google Music allows four device de-authorizations per year, rooters beware originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gartner’s latest dispatch reveals a wobbly global trade in mobile phones. Although our love of smartphones continued to blossom, with sales of that subcategory up nearly 45 percent, it wasn’t enough to stave off a two percent overall decline compared to the same quarter in 2011. A total of 419.1 million handsets were sold, representing the first hiccup after nearly three years of growth and leading analysts to point fingers at a slow down in the Asia / Pacific region as well as a lack of product launches at the start of the year. Meanwhile, these figures also confirm what was already gleaned from IDC’s shipments data: Samsung has knocked Nokia off its 14-year-old perch to become the padrone of the mobile phone market, with a cut of over 20 percent. It also replaced Apple as the number one smartphone vendor, claiming ownership of almost half of that segment. Damn, it feels good to be a pebble.

Gartner: mobile phone sales fell two percent last quarter, Samsung confirmed as numero uno originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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