Friday, May 25, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

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Google brings in-app subscriptions to Android
May 24th 2012, 17:02

Google brings in-app subscriptions to Android

Developers can never have too many options when it comes to ways to take your money. Google has opened the doors to In-app purchases, carrier billing and now, in-app subscriptions. Perhaps it wasn't enough that game creators be able to lure you in with perks and content you could purchase for a one-time fee, now devs can choose to hit you with a monthly charge for the privilege of using their wares. Of course, it's not all that bad. Subscription-based games aren't the only potential uses here. Customers can now buy monthly or annual subscriptions to services or publications as well. There's even a publisher API for extending the subscription beyond the walls of Google Play and your Android device. Glu Mobile will be first out the gate, turning on subscriptions in properties like Frontline Commando, but we're sure plenty of others will follow. Soon enough you might be able to get your New York Times subscription or Spotify Premium account without ever leaving the comfort of the Android app. Any handset with Google Play 3.5 or higher installed should have access to subscriptions starting today.

Google brings in-app subscriptions to Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile myTouch Q makes its mark on the FCC
May 24th 2012, 16:59

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Talk about being tardy to the party: a month after its keyboard-less twin, the Huawei Ascend G312 QWERTY has finally received approval from the FCC. While this particular name may not sound very appealing to the average US customer, perhaps its other designation -- the T-Mobile myTouch Q -- will. Indeed, this is the 2012 iteration (the slide-out keyboard version, at least) of the carrier's annual series, and it sports quadband GSM / EDGE and 850 / AWS / 1900 / 2100 HSPA+. Most of the specs are already known: you can expect to find a 4-inch WVGA display, 1.4GHz MSM8255T chip with 1GB RAM and 4GB of onboard storage and room for microSD expansion. If you're a fan of the myTouch series -- or even hardware keyboards in general -- you likely won't have to wait too much longer.

T-Mobile myTouch Q makes its mark on the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung submits patent application for speech-recognizing robot
May 24th 2012, 16:38

Samsung submits patent application for speech-recognizing robot

Samsung will soon launch its Siri-style S Voice software on the Galaxy S III, but in the more distant future it could bring speech recognition technology to standalone robots. A patent application from the company details an automaton that can adjust its voice detection capabilities to account for ambient noise, letting it recognize when people are talking even in loud locations. It remains unclear just what the robot will do for you once it hears your commands -- maybe it will be on call for cooking you dinner and the like. Judging by that pic, at least, the concept looks like a good time for all involved.

Samsung submits patent application for speech-recognizing robot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUnited States Patent Office  | Email this | Comments

Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 review
May 24th 2012, 16:10

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When it comes to business-friendly features and comfortable keyboards, Lenovo is king. And while the PC maker is no stranger to powerful systems (here's looking at you, ThinkPad X220), it's not necessarily the first brand that comes to mind when you're in the market for HD video streaming and a little gaming. But those are just the sorts of things Lenovo hopes you'll do with the IdeaPad Y480, which ups the multimedia ante with a new GPU from NVIDIA, along with a quad-core Ivy Bridge processor.

The notebook complements that power under the hood with an elegant, understated design and flourishes such as JBL speakers -- all for a reasonable starting price of $849. At 5.1 pounds, it may not be the lightest 14-incher around, but it packs some of the most robust internals in its class. Less forgivable, though, is the notebook's middling 1366 x 768 display; when you have that graphics oomph, you want the high-res visuals to match. Can its amped-up insides and bang for the buck make up for that less-than-premium screen? Join us after the break as we make that determination.

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 review

Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 12:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM's global sales head departs after 14-year stretch
May 24th 2012, 15:53

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Research in Motion's head of global sales is leaving the company after serving the BlackBerry maker for 14 years. Patrick Spence joined the company before it had even produced its first smartphone before rising to his current position, based in London. Reuters hints that he was dissatisfied about being passed over for the vacant CEO's position, due to be filled by former Sony Ericsson man Kristian Tear later this year. A spokesperson for the Canadian company said that Mr. Spence would be moving to a leadership role in another industry.

[Image Credit: Globe and Mail]

RIM's global sales head departs after 14-year stretch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tech Eye  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

AT&T validates NVIDIA Icera 410 LTE modem for use on its network
May 24th 2012, 15:32

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NVIDIA, likely feeling the sting of not having an LTE presence on some of the biggest carriers in the US, announced this morning that the Icera 410 modem has been validated for use on AT&T's network. This particular chipset utilizes the carrier's particular brand of Long-Term Evolution -- in addition to HSPA+, UMTS and 2G -- which means that we should see Icera-powered 4G devices on AT&T's lineup sometime this year. NVIDIA has promised we'll see Tegra 3 LTE utilizing "partners' baseband processors" before we ring in 2013, so we're hoping this bit of news can help the company live up to its word. The press release is all yours to read after the break.

Continue reading AT&T validates NVIDIA Icera 410 LTE modem for use on its network

AT&T validates NVIDIA Icera 410 LTE modem for use on its network originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei Ascend P1 slips through FCC with pentaband goodness for all
May 24th 2012, 15:24

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Huawei's putting a whole bunch of oomph behind its 2012 lineup, and it's finally beginning to get noticed here in the US. Not too long after getting the Ascend D1 approved by the FCC, the Chinese manufacturer has returned to Washington to push the Ascend P1 through the government agency. Regarded as a close sibling to the slimmer P1 S, this particular Platinum-class device comes offering gifts of pentaband HSPA+ / UMTS, which means there's a chance we could see it show up on AT&T or T-Mobile (neither carrier has made their intentions known as of yet). The OMAP 4460-powered Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone will, however, be available in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia by the end of the month, with Europe and Latin America following soon after. If you enjoy poring through federal documents, you'll love peeking at the source link below.

Huawei Ascend P1 slips through FCC with pentaband goodness for all originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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