Thursday, February 2, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget
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LG Spectrum review
Feb 1st 2012, 20:00

Let's just get this out of the way, shall we? If the LG Spectrum looks familiar, you're not imagining things. It may have been a highlight at the company's CES press event last month, but the handset bears more than a passing resemblance to its older, more excitingly-named sibling, the LG Nitro HD -- and, by extension, the globe-trotting Optimus LTE. Beneath their 4.5-inch IPS displays, you'll find virtually identical guts, including a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1,830mAh battery and 4GB of internal storage, coupled with a 16GB microSD. There are some important distinctions here, of course -- namely, changes to the phone's shell and, of course, a shift from AT&T to Verizon. So, how does world-weary Optimus fare from its jump to Big Red? Find the answer past the break.

Continue reading LG Spectrum review

LG Spectrum review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hawaii's online tracking law is all but dead, lead sponsor confirms
Feb 1st 2012, 19:43

The Hawaii state legislature has apparently pulled an about face on a proposed internet tracking bill, amid swelling concerns from civil libertarians and internet service providers alike. First introduced last week, the controversial measure calls for all ISPs to track and record a user's online activity and identity within individual digital dossiers. The law's supporters trumpeted it as a vital step in protecting "victims of crime," but its momentum has all but come to a halt, now that its lead champion has proclaimed its death. In a recent interview with CNET, Democratic Representative John Mizuno (pictured left) confirmed that his bill has been shelved, attributing the decision to the avalanche of critical feedback he's received (see the coverage links, below). "It's generated a lot of national attention," Mizuno explained. "I've taken into consideration the thousands of e-mails (which were often) colorful and passionate, which is absolutely fine... This bill just isn't ready. It needs a lot of work." Unfortunately, this doesn't mean spell an outright death for the law, as Mizuno still believes that keeping a record of browsing history could help authorities hunt down pedophiles and other evil doers. "I think both would be very strong pieces of evidence if there's going to be a criminal proceeding," he argued. Despite our own fundamental misgivings with Mizuno's approach, it's still encouraging to see politicians respond to public outcry so swiftly and, as with the SOPA debacle, appropriately.

Hawaii's online tracking law is all but dead, lead sponsor confirms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET  | Email this | Comments

Sony Google TV gets update this week, brings speedier Chrome and 3D Blu-ray support
Feb 1st 2012, 19:19

Sony Google TV gets update this week, brings speedier Chrome and 3D Blu-ray support
If a simple tweet by the Google TV squad is to be believed, those of you who own Sony-branded hardware should be receiving an update within the next few days. In a scant 140-characters, Big G promises a Chrome browser that "works faster," as well as the ability to get your Blu-ray content in all three dees (if that's your thing). Google's not telling precisely when the fresh features will make their way to Sony's set-top boxes, so you'll just have to stay glued to your GTV and wait for it to magically appear.

Sony Google TV gets update this week, brings speedier Chrome and 3D Blu-ray support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How-To: Set up a home file server using FreeNAS
Feb 1st 2012, 19:00

In today's digital world we've all got data, and lots of it. Our libraries are also growing rapidly: where you used to get by setting aside a few bookshelves for your books, CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes, we now require untold server space to preserve our beloved media in digitized form. We also want our data to be itinerant, or at least seem that way. That is, if you want to take a book or disc to another room of your abode, you pull it from the bookshelf and take it with you. Similarly, if you're working on a document upstairs on your desktop and you want to move to the den with your laptop, you'll need the proper infrastructure working in the background to enable that kind of wizardry. So, how can we create this "digital bookshelf?" Can you go out and buy it now? Can you build it in your garage? As it turns out, the answer is "yes" on all counts. You could go out and buy a Drobo device but in this case, we're going to assemble our own. And we're going to do that with the help of an open source storage platform called FreeNAS. So how involved a process is that? Meet us after the break to find out.

Continue reading How-To: Set up a home file server using FreeNAS

How-To: Set up a home file server using FreeNAS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry 7 devices get American, Canadian Government approval
Feb 1st 2012, 18:41

The Governments of the USA and Canada have announced that BlackBerry 7 (and 7.1) smartphones are suitable for official use. The units have been granted FIPS 140-2 certification, demonstrating a suitable level of cryptographic security to protect sensitive information. Gear that hasn't been FIPS-certified can't be purchased by Government agencies, so RIM can expect to see a substantial order of its Bold 9900 / 9930 / 9790, Torch 9850 / 9860 / 9810 and Curve 9350 / 9370 / 9380 phones, as President Obama looks to swell the number of people legally allowed to BBM-him. After the break we've got a missive from Waterloo expressing how proud it is now it's been Government-sanctioned.

Continue reading BlackBerry 7 devices get American, Canadian Government approval

BlackBerry 7 devices get American, Canadian Government approval originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PowerDVD 12 brings syncing and transcoding for mobile devices
Feb 1st 2012, 18:23

It's been less than a year since CyberLink revealed PowerDVD 11 and now along comes PowerDVD 12. Among the new features in 12 is the ability to sync media -- we can only assume this excludes protected content -- to PowerDVD Mobile for Android as well as automatically transcode videos for most of the popular mobile devices. Said mobile clients are only free, though, if you opt of the $99 Ultra version of PowerDVD. PowerDVD Mobile is available for everyone else for $19.99, as well as PowerDVD Remote for $4.99. Overall it seems like an iterative update that might not hit the spot at $45 (for an upgrade), but there are other new features like OGG and FLAC support that might just push you over the edge.

Continue reading PowerDVD 12 brings syncing and transcoding for mobile devices

PowerDVD 12 brings syncing and transcoding for mobile devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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German court denies Apple request for preliminary ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus sales
Feb 1st 2012, 18:00

German court denies preliminary ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus You win some, and you lose some, right, Apple? Hot on the heels of its latest victory in Dusseldorf keeping the Galaxy Tab 10.1 out of Deutschland, Apple was denied similar satisfaction in Munich today. Bloomberg's reporting that the Munich Regional Court denied Cupertino's motion to exclude Sammy's 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus from store shelves due to infringement of a touchscreen patent granted last year. While details of the ruling itself are scarce, the judge apparently rejected Apple's overtures because the patent in question is likely invalid due to the market presence of the same technology before the patent was granted. Of course, the 10.1N's not out of the woods yet, as next week the aforementioned court in Dusseldorf will pass judgment on Sammy's reworked slate. So, pop some popcorn folks, these legal fireworks are far from over.

German court denies Apple request for preliminary ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Galaxy Nexus sales originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments

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