| Opening the Book(Book) on Twelve South: between the covers of a Mac-exclusive accessory maker May 23rd 2012, 16:45  The year is 2009. In history books, it'll widely be recognized as the year that most of America -- heck, the world -- would prefer to forget. Job after job was lost, bank after bank fell, and humanity as we knew it plunged into "the worst recession since the Great Depression." It's also the year that Palm attempted a comeback with webOS, and as it turns out, the year that yet another accessory company was born. While such an occurrence may be forgettable on a macro scale, economic researchers and lovers of technology alike have reason to take notice -- and, indeed, ask questions. So, that's exactly what I did. Beyond growing a technology startup in a me-too field during the worst economy that I've personally been a part of, it's also not often that I find compelling consumer electronics companies far outside of New York City and San Francisco. Twelve South just so happens to be located in a nondescript nook in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina -- just a beautiful trip over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from historic Charleston. Three years after its founding, the company now fittingly counts a dozen employees on its roster, and despite entering a market flooded with iAccessory after iAccessory, it has somehow managed to grab its own slice of an increasingly large niche. As with all good success stories, this particular outfit has plenty of twists, turns and run-ins with Lady Luck to tell about; for those interested in seeing how the "stay small" mantra is keeping Twelve South firmly focused on the future ahead, take a peek beyond the break. Continue reading Opening the Book(Book) on Twelve South: between the covers of a Mac-exclusive accessory maker Opening the Book(Book) on Twelve South: between the covers of a Mac-exclusive accessory maker originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | AT&T launches Samsung Galaxy Appeal GoPhone, available at Walmart on June 5th for $150 May 23rd 2012, 16:22  What's in a name? For the Samsung Galaxy Appeal, everything. The moniker of AT&T's new Android GoPhone fits the manufacturer's current legal situation perfectly, though admittedly its side-slider QWERTY-packing form factor is the least likely of Sammy's lineup to catch the attention of Cupertino's team of suits. Joking aside, the 4.3-ounce Appeal offers Android 2.3, a 3.2-inch HVGA (that's 480 x 320) display, 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7225A processor, 3MP rear camera and 512MB of RAM. It's also made with 80 percent recycled material and has a microSD port and 1,300mAh battery. The Appeal will begin its wireless sojourn on June 5th at Walmart for $150, and will pop up at other AT&T outlets beginning July 15th. Head below to find the legal team-approved press release. Continue reading AT&T launches Samsung Galaxy Appeal GoPhone, available at Walmart on June 5th for $150 AT&T launches Samsung Galaxy Appeal GoPhone, available at Walmart on June 5th for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Google Search for iPhone gets the 2.0 remake, full-screen search and swipes aplenty May 23rd 2012, 16:01  Google gave its official search app an iPad remake late last year, and now it's smaller iPhone and iPod touch devices getting the new UI's treatment. As of Google Search App 2.0, the smaller iOS devices see a big emphasis on full-screen navigation, with an automatic full-screen mode and a dedicated full-screen photo search making the most of the limited display real estate. You can now swipe back to search results like you could with the iPad, and it's overall much faster in the app to hop between different search types as well as web apps like Calendar or Gmail. There's still something in it for you if you've already been deep into the iPad port's interface, as the tablet and the iPhone alike can now save photos directly to the iOS camera roll. You'll need at least iOS 4.2 to live in Google's non-Android mobile universe, but those that measure up can leap in through the source link. Google Search for iPhone gets the 2.0 remake, full-screen search and swipes aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  MacStories, Official Google Blog |  App Store | Email this | Comments | | Seagate to buy LaCie for $186 million, expand its storage empire May 23rd 2012, 15:21  Seagate and LaCie have gotten friendly before -- the former company's drives are in the LaCie 2big Thunderbolt HDD, for instance -- but the storage makers are about to get even cozier. Today, Seagate announced its plans to buy a 64.5-percent share in the French company, which is currently valued at $186 million. The acquisition will combine the two outlets' product portfolios and, according to the press release, "accelerate Seagate's growth strategy in the expanding consumer storage market, particularly in Europe and Japan." The deal should go through by late 2012, and Seagate will bring over LaCie CEO Philippe Spruch to head the consumer storage products division. Continue reading Seagate to buy LaCie for $186 million, expand its storage empire Seagate to buy LaCie for $186 million, expand its storage empire originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
