Well, we can’t exactly say we saw this one coming. Microsoft has today taken the wraps off a rather ambitious project dubbed on{X}, which is available exclusively for Android smartphones initially (support for more platforms is planned), and offers a range of tools that promise to help “automate your life.” Developed by the company’s R&D Center in Israel, the service consists of a website and an app, the former of which lets you select from a variety of scripts (or “recipes,” as Microsoft calls them), while the latter executes them on your phone. The kicker is that anyone can create their own recipes and share them with others, and they can take all of the capabilities of a smartphone into account — performing an action when you arrive at a specific location, for instance, or setting reminders based on the weather forecast (all the actual processing is handled on the phone). Much like Kinect, Microsoft is hoping that folks will take the platform and run with it, developing new features that it hasn’t even thought of. Those interested can get started right now at the source link below, or get a taste of the service in the video after the break.

Microsoft debuts on{X} for Android, promises to ‘automate your life’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The tales of Apple possibly dumping Google Maps as the backend for iOS 6′s Maps app are gathering steam, but we’re now learning just how much forethought may have gone into the split. According to the WSJ‘s favorite tipsters, “people familiar with the matter,” Apple isn’t just hoping to spurn Android — it’s reacting to push-back it got years earlier. Google supposedly delayed Street View, and blocked Google Maps Navigation outright, as it wasn’t getting the limelight for branding and couldn’t push in social tracking services that tend to make a privacy-sensitive Apple jittery, like Latitude. The August 2009 buyout of Placebase was ground zero for Apple’s shift, which saw subsequent deals for Poly9 and C3 Technologies flesh out the project.

As for the end results? They supposedly include turn-by-turn navigation that mimics an “in-car GPS device,” and regular mapping should now be free to integrate with other apps: Calendar might warn you if a traffic jam on Interstate 280 will affect that appointment at 1 Infinite Loop, as an example. We might not have long to wait for the truth behind the new tips and earlier leaked shots, as the contacts believe Apple could show its Maps overhaul when WWDC starts next week.

Apple possibly held back by Google for years on iOS’ Maps features, might bring turn-by-turn nav to WWDC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know how annoying it is when you’re trying to land a tre flip, and trigger your GoPro at the same time. That’s no doubt why they came up with the WiFi BacPac and remote combo we saw at CES. Well, they are finally out in retailers in the US, Europe and internationally online. So double-corkers and megaloopers alike can finally control their favorite helmet cam, literally, on the fly. Not only will you get the remote convenience for $99, but smart-phone (Android and iOS) viewfinder capabilities too. A new software update will also let you stream directly to the web. Kickflip over the break to see three-times X Games skateboarding gold medalist Ryan Sheckler put the kit to the test, in a way most of us never will.

Continue reading GoPro’s WiFi BacPac and Remote available for helmets and wrists everywhere (video)

GoPro’s WiFi BacPac and Remote available for helmets and wrists everywhere (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We interrupt our wall-to-wall laptop and Windows 8 coverage to bring you some news about… chips. Specifically, Intel’s latest ultra low voltage chips, and new features they’ll bring to Ultrabooks, in particular. Here at Chipzilla’s Computex keynote, we just got a demo of a new security feature that causes an alarm to go off on your PC if a stranger attempts to move it. Using Bluetooth 4.0 and a custom Android app, you designate your PC as the one that needs protection, and then you set a threshold for when the alarm should go off (the range is customizable, but doesn’t go beyond five feet). If someone tries to burgle your laptop, he or she will have to enter a password to silence the wailing.

It’s all worth a look in our demo video below, but we can think of a couple caveats. For one, in order to receive an alert on your phone, letting you know someone picked up your PC, you’d have to be within Bluetooth range, which means if you’re covering a tradeshow in Taipei and someone robs your apartment in New York, you’ll be none the wiser. Second, the technology isn’t yet integrated with Intel’s other security features, such as identity protection or its “poison pill” that prevents the PC from even booting. On that front, then, best to keep it up with those unguessable passwords.

Continue reading Intel demos Bluetooth-based anti-theft alarm for Ultrabooks, we go hands-on (video)

Intel demos Bluetooth-based anti-theft alarm for Ultrabooks, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Equal parts creepy and adorable, CyanogenMod’s new character has been gifted his first big appearance, in his own animation for the Android modder platform of choice. Cid (that’s short for CyanogenMod ID) will replace the slightly overfamiliar skateboarding Android icon when you turn on your now tinkered-with gadget. Gaze at his sweetly-sinister glow right after the break.

Continue reading CyanogenMod’s new mascot, Cid, gets his own start-up animation

CyanogenMod’s new mascot, Cid, gets his own start-up animation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thought Sony’s E3 2012 presser would be about a next-gen console? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that doesn’t mean there’s no news on the PlayStation front, as Sony’s just informed the world that the PlayStation Suite has been renamed PlayStation Mobile. Not only that, but it’s opening PS Mobile to third-party Android manufacturers, and as was rumored, HTC is the first handset maker not named Sony to get certified — meaning that you’ll soon be able to get your PlayStation on using the Taiwanese outfit’s hardware. Unfortunately, we don’t know when HTC will debut its first such handset, nor when other Android makers will get in on the action, but it’s nice to see Sony finally start to share the gaming love.

Continue reading HTC officially a maker of PlayStation certified handsets, PlayStation Suite is now PlayStation Mobile

HTC officially a maker of PlayStation certified handsets, PlayStation Suite is now PlayStation Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foursquare has been steadily adding to its mobile app since its check-in service took off. A major remake hasn’t been in the cards, however, until now. The company is teasing a major update this week that will reflect Foursquare’s shift from simply broadcasting your coffee shop invasions to recommending where to go next. From what little the company is willing to let slip in advance, the emphasis will be on spotting popular destinations on the map as well as more alluring location pages. There’s still several questions left open, including an exact release date as well as whether or not the update is coming to more than one platform on day one; we’ve only seen iOS shots so far. Still, it’s looking as though fans of Oink and Yelp will find something to like in Foursquare very shortly.

Foursquare teases a giant mobile app remake, mayors quiver in anticipation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, it’s late to the Samsung Galaxy S III announcement party, but we suppose AT&T is letting the other carriers duke it out for the attention first before it came out with its own revelation. Now that it has the platform all to itself, AT&T has now officially made its intentions known. The Snapdragon S4-powered device will offer three color options and will be available for pre-order on June 6th starting at $200 for a 16GB model (shipping dates and retail availability have not been announced yet). What’s the third hue choice, alongside the white and blue? Red. That’s right: seeking ways to customize the Galaxy S III as a means of differentiating itself from the other four Galaxy S III devices, AT&T will be proudly selling its new flagship smartphone in glorious red.

There’s a bit of disappointing news to go with the good, however — at least, if you’re a fan of more storage. AT&T will sell only the 16GB model, and anyone seeking a total of 32GB will need to go with a $39 16GB microSD card. Aside from this, everything else appears to be exactly the same as the rest of the pack, which is encouraging news for anyone who wishes US carriers would shift to a state of existence as dumb pipes.

Continue reading AT&T announces Samsung Galaxy S III plans: preorders begin June 6th for $200, will be available in red

AT&T announces Samsung Galaxy S III plans: preorders begin June 6th for $200, will be available in red originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last time the winds of hearsay rustled our tech feathers, word was Samsung had pegged its Tab 2 10.1 for a quad-core CPU transplant. While the company went on the record to shoot down that pesky rumor, it remained suspiciously mum where the Galaxy Note 10.1 was concerned. Now, thanks to a brief video demo over on German site All About Samsung, it appears the formerly dual-core slate refresh we had a chance to preview back in March could, indeed, be set for a processor swap. Though it’s still far from official, the new Note 10.1 shown above looks to be sharing not only some of the Galaxy S III’s specs — quad-core Exynos processor with Mali 400 MP GPU and a TouchWizzed Android 4.0.4– but also that formerly problematic Pebble Blue finish. And much to our delight, it also appears as if the company’s revised the tablet’s design slightly, adding in a convenient slot on the lower left hand side for S-Pen stowage. Not convinced by mere words alone? The head past the break for video evidence of this purported hardware upgrade.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 caught on camera with S-pen slot, quad-core CPU (video)

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 caught on camera with S-pen slot, quad-core CPU (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft may not be introducing a next-gen console at E3 this year, but it is teaching its venerable Xbox 360 some new tricks. SmartGlass brings AirPlay-style wireless technology to Xbox and Windows 8 by letting you send video from your tablet or phone to your TV. It then turns that second screen into an information window giving you data of the content you’re watching. Plus, it updates the info on your mobile device as the content on the TV changes. The app also enables peripheral controls for games you’re playing — so you can scroll through different plays on your tablet while playing Madden on your big screen, for example.

In addition to providing your peripherals with contextual awareness, the SmartGlass app turns your phone into a remote and trackpad for your Xbox, in case using Kinect and regular controllers aren’t something you’re into. So, you can pinch to zoom, move the onscreen cursor and scroll to your heart’s content in Xbox’s new web browser using your tablet or phone. When will we be seeing SmartGlass in living rooms? Unfortunately, not until this fall, so our liveblog photos of the app in action will have to suffice until then.

Follow our liveblog of Microsoft’s E3 keynote right here!

Continue reading Microsoft’s SmartGlass gets official: app brings AirPlay-esque streams to Android, iOS and Windows Phone

Microsoft’s SmartGlass gets official: app brings AirPlay-esque streams to Android, iOS and Windows Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If anything’s giving gaming juggernauts like Nintendo and Sony reason to look over their shoulders, it’s the recent uptick in mobile gaming. And much to those titans’ chagrin, Nyko’s come to stir the pot. Announced just today, the accessory maker’s outing a new line of wireless controllers made specifically for TegraZone titles. The peripherals, co-developed with NVIDIA, come in two distinct sizes: the PlayPad Pro for more traditional gaming with its dual analog controllers, d-pad and array of shoulder and face buttons, and the diminutive PlayPad with its dual analog sliders, carrying case and foldable stand for a truer portable experience. Though both controllers are designed for use with optimized Tegra 2 or 3 titles, legacy games will also be supported via the accessory maker’s free Playground app, which will also allow for customized layouts, as well as pre-sets for top titles on devices running Android 3.0 and up. No pricing or concrete release information’s been made available at the moment, with the company mentioning only a Fall launch for later this year. We’ll be sure to have a hands-on coming in the hours ahead, but for now, content yourself with the presser below.

Continue reading Nyko, NVIDIA out pair of PlayPad controllers for TegraZone gaming

Nyko, NVIDIA out pair of PlayPad controllers for TegraZone gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turns out that you won’t have to buy a Transformer AiO and use two whole operating systems to run Android apps on that ASUS Windows PC — the Taiwan PC builder has struck a deal to run Bluestacks’ App Player for key software on the ASUS@Vibe side of its new Open Cloud Computing service. The code layer will give free rein to play games like Fruit Ninja or Defender as well as run more sober titles like Evernote and Pulse. Apps will be available across every type of PC ASUS makes, including Eee PC netbooks and other models without touchscreens, but they won’t always be gratis. ASUS is providing free Android apps for just the first six months of service and will be charging an unspecified rate for unlimited access afterwards, so you may want to opt for that Transformer AiO or a PadFone to run mobile apps the old-fashioned way.

Continue reading ASUS enlists BlueStacks to run Android apps on Windows PCs, skips all the OS juggling

ASUS enlists BlueStacks to run Android apps on Windows PCs, skips all the OS juggling originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Nexus S was supposed to be the definition of Google’s perfect phone circa late 2010, so we can’t imagine that too many at the Googleplex are enthused with the potential impact of a new custom ROM from Baidu. China’s search giant has replaced many of the stock Google apps in Android 4.0 with its own examples, ranging from media players through to navigation. Google will take some consolation from knowing that the firmware can’t be pushed out over the air and has to be sideloaded over USB. All the same, with plans from Baidu to expand to other Android 4.0 devices, we can’t help but think Google faces a minor Kindle Fire effect where it’s cut out from its own ecosystem.

Baidu custom ROM for Nexus S swaps Google’s apps for Baidu’s own, gets few fans in Mountain View originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Europeans earnestly wait for their pre-ordered pebble blue superphones to appear, a hands-on video from Germany is purportedly showing us a darker, grayer version of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. While the skeptic in us would say it’s just a lighting issue, the back cover looks perceptibly different to the blue-hued slab we spent time with during its big reveal. It looks almost monochromatic — and even shinier, if that’s possible. The color borders on gun-metal gray and we have to admit, we’re already a little smitten. Samsung’s had issues bringing the blueish hue to the masses, so this could turn out to be the new non-white color option. Black and white is a bit played out, so our fingers are crossed that we’ll get to have our pebble-colored cake and eat it. Check out the possible new look in a hands-on video after the break — and bring on the hot pink option.

Continue reading A different shade of Galaxy S III spotted in Germany (video)

A different shade of Galaxy S III spotted in Germany (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a pair of audio-centric giveaways, you’d think we would be done with the genre for a while, right? Wrong! Today’s offering isn’t necessarily a pair of headphones or fancy speaker system, but rather the Pantech Element, a waterproof Android tablet that just so happens to be equipped with DTS digital audio decoder technology. What does this mean? DTS, a company that has been cranking out state-of-the-art audio for years, has integrated its sound into the Element to enhance your multimedia and gaming experience. We agree, it “sounds” like a great idea. Hop into the comments to enter, and good luck!

Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win one of two Pantech Elements, courtesy of DTS!

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two Pantech Elements, courtesy of DTS! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a pair of audio-centric giveaways, you’d think we would be done with the genre for a while, right? Wrong! Today’s offering isn’t necessarily a pair of headphones or fancy speaker system, but rather the Pantech Element, a waterproof Android tablet that just so happens to be equipped with DTS digital audio decoder technology. What does this mean? DTS, a company that has been cranking out state-of-the-art audio for years, has integrated its sound into the Element to enhance your multimedia and gaming experience. We agree, it “sounds” like a great idea. Hop into the comments to enter, and good luck!

Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win one of two Pantech Elements, courtesy of DTS!

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two Pantech Elements, courtesy of DTS! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile US isn’t letting Verizon bask in the spotlight for too long, as it just announced that June 21st will be the magic date it begins offering the Samsung Galaxy S III in stores. From what we can tell, this particular flavor of the device has seemed to escape a good chunk of carrier influence, with the traditional home button model staying intact. As we’ve been expecting, the GSIII will come in 16 and 32GB models (price is still an unknown at the moment, though $200 and $250 respectively seems to be the popular choice so far), run on a Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and offer an impressive 2GB RAM. It doesn’t appear that T-Mo will be allowing pre-orders through official retail channels, but you can sign up for a reminder by going to the link below. But don’t worry if you forget to do that — we’ll keep you posted on all the updates no matter what.

Continue reading T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st

T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile bookmarking service Instapaper, previously available only on iOS devices, has now arrived on Android as well.

Instapaper lets you save links to read later, and it does exactly the same thing on Android, but the actual developer is different from the original app. Not having the time to focus on the Android version of the app, Instapaper creator Marco Arment turned it into the hands of Mobelux (which also created Tumblr for Android).

While the app does its best to mimic the iOS version, there are several key differences; most notably, it lacks a full screen reading option and pagination – an omission already noted in several reviews of the app over at Google play.

The price is a bit lower, though. On iTunes, Instapaper costs $4.99, while the price for the Android version is $2.99.

Android users: How do you like Instapaper for Android? Can you compare the iOS version to the Android one — if you’ve tried both? Share your opinions in the comments.

More About: android, Instapaper

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• Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
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• Subscribe to the Mobile channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Mobile bookmarking service Instapaper, previously available only on iOS devices, has now arrived on Android as well.

Instapaper lets you save links to read later, and it does exactly the same thing on Android, but the actual developer is different from the original app. Not having the time to focus on the Android version of the app, Instapaper creator Marco Arment turned it into the hands of Mobelux (which also created Tumblr for Android).

While the app does its best to mimic the iOS version, there are several key differences; most notably, it lacks a full screen reading option and pagination – an omission already noted in several reviews of the app over at Google play.

The price is a bit lower, though. On iTunes, Instapaper costs $4.99, while the price for the Android version is $2.99.

Android users: How do you like Instapaper for Android? Can you compare the iOS version to the Android one — if you’ve tried both? Share your opinions in the comments.

More About: android, Instapaper

For more Mobile coverage:

• Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Mobile channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

It’s been a long time coming, but Panasonic’s hardy, Honeycomb-decked ICS-toting tablet looks like it might be ready for butter-fingered customers. The FCC’s stable of tests aren’t revealing much we didn’t already know about the Toughpad, but be assured that its WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities are both fit for use. The full radio reports are up now, so hit the source for over 86 pages of detail — if you’re feeling tough enough.

Update: Panasonic’s got in touch to tell us that the Toughpad will now arrive with Android 4.0.

Panasonic Toughpad A1 clashes with FCC, goes the distance originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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