| Sony Xperia sola: a pint-sized Android handset with floating touch (hands-on) Aug 31st 2012, 15:01  Sometimes getting lost in the maze-like sprawl of the Messe can turn up unexpected surprises. In this case, we chanced upon Sony's Xperia sola hiding in plain sight at Sparhandy's booth. The petite Android handset, formerly codenamed "Pepper", was officially announced earlier this spring and even crept up in FCC filings. But until now, we'd never had quality hands-on time with the 3.7-inch Gingerbread device. For its diminutive size, the wee phone sports a 854 x 480 LCD display powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz, 5-megapixel rear shooter and NFC functionality for Smart Tag use. As you might expect, the sola fits quite nicely into the palm of your hand, though its tiny screen can pose an issue for those with larger digits. And speaking of touch navigation, this Sony phone separates itself from the rest of the Xperia pack with the inclusion of floating touch technology -- much like the Galaxy Note 2. What's that? Well, turns out this device can detect your finger's presence up to 20mm away from the screen, allowing users to highlight links, but only from within the browser. Apart from that neat touch, which in practice, is a bit awkward to properly use, the phone functions exactly as it should for the low-to-mid range it occupies. Performance is appreciably quick and pages loaded up in the browser in just about 30 seconds time. There's still no word on whether the sola will ever make it stateside, but if you're keen to see that hovering functionality in action, head past the break for a video demo and check out our gallery below. Mat Smith contributed to this report. Continue reading Sony Xperia sola: a pint-sized Android handset with floating touch (hands-on) Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile Sony Xperia sola: a pint-sized Android handset with floating touch (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | FCC seen reviewing rules for carrier spectrum sales, might try one-size-fits-all model Aug 31st 2012, 14:57  The FCC currently decides on concerns of wireless spectrum concentration on a case-by-case basis: what's acceptable in one deal might be forbidden in another. That inconsistency can be maddening to carriers and advocacy groups alike, which is why FCC Chairman Juilus Genachowski is reportedly on the cusp of distributing an order to review the process. Talking to The Hill, an official at the agency claims that the review would ask for input on creating a universal standard that would apply to all deals, hopefully providing "clarity and predictability" for any company making a spectrum grab. The order could be distributed to the FCC's commissioners next week and voted on next month, although there's no sign of an impending revolution -- it's just a call for opinions, after all. Regardless, the two sides of the spectrum debate already like the idea, as it could both prevent complaints by carriers of ambush regulation as well as toughen up rules that critics say hands too large a slice of the airwaves to the incumbents. Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile FCC seen reviewing rules for carrier spectrum sales, might try one-size-fits-all model originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  ZDNet |  The Hill | Email this | Comments | | Apple and publishers offer deal to put price fixing scandal behind them in EU Aug 31st 2012, 14:36  In the US, the e-book price fixing scandal appears to be winding towards its inevitable conclusion. Many of the publishers settled with the DOJ right off the bat, and now the states themselves have gotten three publishing houses to cough up $69 million in their own agreement. (Of course, Apple, Macmillan and Penguin have all decided to go the trial route, but we'll have to wait till next year to see how that plays out.) In Europe, the battle is still raging on, but Reuters is reporting that the accused are offering concessions in a bid to put the antitrust allegations behind them. The only name missing from the list is Penguin, which may or may not be part of the plea deal. Not all the details of the proposals have been revealed yet, and there's no guarantee the commission will accept them. The heart of the settlement, however, would involve allowing Amazon to sell e-books at a discounted price for two years. Would cheaper Kindle books be good, clean fun for the whole family? Sure, but it certainly pales in comparison to the potential penalties if Apple and their publishing partners go to trial. Filed under: Apple Apple and publishers offer deal to put price fixing scandal behind them in EU originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments | | Microsoft confirms first wave of Xbox games for Windows 8 Aug 31st 2012, 14:21  Been wondering what your gaming options will be when you first take a new Windows 8 PC or Windows RT tablet out of the box? Microsoft has confirmed today that its first wave of Xbox titles (as they're now known) for the OS will include 40 games, 29 of which come from Microsoft Studios. Those include quite a few familiar titles like Angry Birds (and Angry Birds Space), Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, as well as the old mainstays like Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong -- anyone hoping for the likes of a Halo or Gears of War title are out of luck for now, though. As we'd heard previously, all Xbox games will be accessible from within the pre-installed Games app, and they'll each boast most of the Xbox Live features you'd expect, including achievements and leaderboards. You can find the full list after the break, and Microsoft promises that more will be added "through holiday and beyond." Continue reading Microsoft confirms first wave of Xbox games for Windows 8 Filed under: Gaming, Software Microsoft confirms first wave of Xbox games for Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Windows Blog | Xbox | Email this | Comments | | Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video) Aug 31st 2012, 14:10  Eager to get your hands on a top-of-the-line set without shelling out five figures for a super-slick 55-inch OLED? Sony's Bravia HX950 may have caught your eye, with its Intelligent Peak LED Backlight that's said to deliver "the best contrast Sony has to offer." According to representatives at IFA (who don't always tend to offer the most consistent specifications), the full-array system includes 196 individual zones, letting the television adjust backlighting on a more granular level, resulting in brighter whites and deeper blacks. We caught up with both the 55- and 65-inch flavors of Sony's HX950 at the company's booth, where several demo stations were arranged to highlight the backlighting, along with features called 3D Super-Resolution, Internet Video Super Resolution and HD Super Resolution. All of the side-by-side demonstrations provided noticeable improvements, though all three Super Resolution settings may be a tad too sharp for some viewers. The set itself is as gorgeous as you'd expect for a flagship model, with a black glossy bezel and a narrow design that's sufficiently svelte without stepping into ultra-thin territory. The specially designed glass panel does indeed help to reduce glare, as we experienced in the visually congested IFA booth. Perhaps most interesting is the price -- €2,999 (about $3,800) for the 55-inch model, and €4,999 (about $6,300) for the 65 incher -- a steep drop from the 650,000 yen (about $8,270) the HDTV is commanding in Japan. We weren't able to confirm US availability or pricing, which will likely come in below the European tag, but reps did quote a November 1st ship date, which seems to be in line with the November 10th date we heard for Japan earlier this week. You'll have but two months to wait before adding this monster to your collection, but you can snag a look today in our gallery below and hands-on video after the break. Continue reading Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video) Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Huawei's Ascend G600 will be available starting next month in 'select markets' Aug 31st 2012, 14:09  By now, you're likely aware that Huawei has pushed out a plethora of new slabs at IFA 2012, including a couple of fresh Ascends and a pair of new MediaPads. What you see above is the company's G600, which, as you might've noticed during our hands-on time with this 4.5-inch handset, comes boasting a slice of Google's Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.4, to be precise), a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, 4GB of onboard storage and a screen resolution of 960 x 540 -- of course, let's not forget it's also sporting the novel Emotion UI. More importantly, however, Huawei's noting the G600 is set to be up for grabs as soon as next month -- but, unfortunately, that's only expected to be in some undisclosed "select markets." Either way, at least you know you'll be able to take your pick between that Mysterious Black or Pure White when it eventually comes to your area (if it does at all). Continue reading Huawei's Ascend G600 will be available starting next month in 'select markets' Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile Huawei's Ascend G600 will be available starting next month in 'select markets' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Huawei | Email this | Comments | | Hi-Fun's call-receiving Bluetooth gloves, hands-in (video) Aug 31st 2012, 13:53  Sometimes the most fascinating bits from a tradeshow come from those booth in between major manufacturers, and while we're certainly not claiming that the Hi-Call is "the best product at IFA" as its spokesperson suggested to us with a smile, they're nothing if not interesting. Hi-Fun's gloves are Bluetooth headsets -- or, well, handsets -- with the speaker built into the thumb and the mic in the pinky, so you can talk by doing the traditional "call me" hand gesture. Pairing is simple enough for anyone who's done the process on a more traditional headset -- the button is built into the top of the glove, along with a button to end the call. We took the gloves for a spin, as you can see in the video below, calling the rep's very confused boss. In spite of turning up the handset volume as loud as possible, we had a lot of trouble actually hearing something on the showfloor -- and the fellow on the other end seemed to be having similar issues, leading to quite probably the first time I've ever used the phrase "I'm sorry, I can't hear you, I'm talking into a glove." Hi-Call will be out in the beginning of October, just in time for the cold weather. It'll run you a not particularly cheap €49 for the pleasure of speaking into your pinky. Video evidence after the break. Continue reading Hi-Fun's call-receiving Bluetooth gloves, hands-in (video) Filed under: Wearables Hi-Fun's call-receiving Bluetooth gloves, hands-in (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Spotify gift cards now available at Target in $10, $30 and $60 values Aug 31st 2012, 13:45  If any of you tuning in from the US have ever wondered why you can't buy a Spotify gift card for the internet radio lover in your life, well, you can quit pondering: Target is now selling Spotify credits in its brick-and-mortar stores -- a first in the US. The cards are available in $10, $30 and $60 amounts, which translates to one, three and six months of service, respectively. As you can imagine, you need a Spotify Premium account to redeem them, so make sure whoever you're buying for has a subscription or at least intends to sign up. Still, we have to say: a month of ad-free radio and offline playback could make for a nice last-minute gift, even if the lucky recipient chooses not to hang around after the included free days expire. Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Software Spotify gift cards now available at Target in $10, $30 and $60 values originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Spotify | Email this | Comments | | Distro Issue 55: a cautionary tale of the state-supported 38 Studios Aug 31st 2012, 13:30  In 2004, Curt Schilling and a badly injured ankle led the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years. That's right, he was the ace that helped break the "Curse of the Bambino" from the mound. Fast forward to 2010, where Schilling had hung up his cleats and lobbied for Rhode Island officials to give his video game outfit, 38 Studios, a $75 million loan guarantee. Just two years later, the studio filed for Chapter 7, leaving the state's taxpayers holding the tab. In this week's issue, Jason Hidalgo takes a look at what went down in New England and examines the risk of public funds being used to support private tech companies. We had folks on the ground in Berlin to monitor the happenings at IFA this week and a few notable gadgets from said event occupy "Hands-on". As far as full-on reviews go, we put the Archos 101 XS, Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE and Acer Aspire V5 through their paces. "Forum" is chock full of even more reads, eSports commentator John Sargent stops by for the Q&A, "Time Machines" kicks it old school and "Eyes-on" takes on 35mm, retro-style photography. The week is over, so hit the link that you fancy the most to grab your copy and let the relaxation begin. Distro Issue 55 PDF
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Follow Distro on Twitter Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile Distro Issue 55: a cautionary tale of the state-supported 38 Studios originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | iTunes, Google Play | Email this | Comments | |
