| NEC jumps the gun, debuts its MWC smartphone lineup ahead of Barcelona Feb 23rd 2012, 12:56 | 2012 may prove to be a very good year for NEC, which has launched two smartphones and a tablet in the past month alone. Having not missed a beat, the Japanese firm has gone ahead and revealed its lineup for Mobile World Congress a full week ahead of the show in Barcelona. Rather than actual shipping models, you can think of each of these as prototypes for the carriers, where the only fixed specification is the screen size. Most interesting among the bunch is without a doubt the "Best Cloud UX Device," which offers two 4.3-inch displays that open and close like a book -- a hell of a lot better than Kyocera's attempt, if you ask us. Also among the mix will be a 5-inch "Large Screen in One Hand" model, along with another 4.3-inch "Stylish" unit. Unlike previous products, the latest trio fully embrace the design philosophy of Ice Cream Sandwich and eschew the dedicated navigation buttons from bygone days. NEC jumps the gun, debuts its MWC smartphone lineup ahead of Barcelona originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Verge |  Impress Watch (translated), Gadget Haishin (translated) | Email this | Comments | | AT&T announces home automation platform, eco-ratings for consumer devices Feb 23rd 2012, 12:00 |  Today, AT&T revealed that it's working on a new home monitoring and automation platform known as Digital Life. While it'll be marketed toward service providers, the IP-based system will allow business and residential users alike to remotely monitor cameras, lighting, thermostats, motion detectors, window and door sensors, along with a litany of other devices. It'll be demonstrated next week in Barcelona as part of the GSM Association's Connected Home experience. As you'd expect, we'll be there to bring you a peek of AT&T's handiwork.
The company has also announced that, later this year, customers will find eco-rating labels on AT&T-branded mobile devices. With this initiative, shoppers may evaluate criteria such as a product's energy efficiency, the percentage of recycled materials used in manufacture, and the inclusion of metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury. These factors and more will be presented as a composite score that evaluates the sustainability attributes of each device -- think of it as an easy way to get your green in gear. You'll find the PR for both announcements after the break.
Continue reading AT&T announces home automation platform, eco-ratings for consumer devices AT&T announces home automation platform, eco-ratings for consumer devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Google adds Esperanto as its 64th machine translatable language Feb 23rd 2012, 11:29 | Esperanto isn't just something Microsoft uses to tease Google for abandoning video codecs, it's a legitimate, manufactured language. Created in the late 1800's by Dr. Ludwig L. Zamenhof, Esperanto was designed to be an easy to learn language that would help folks from all over the world understand each other. Seeing as how Google Translate shares similar goals, the Mountain View firm felt Zamenhof's homemade tongue would be the perfect fit for its machine translation service. Despite a rather small sample size of pre-existing translated material to feed the Google language machine, the firm says Google Translate handled Esperanto surprisingly well -- partially crediting the language's learner friendly construction for the service's success. Sure, it may not be the most useful addition Google Translate's ever seen, but hey, it gets us one step closer to watching cult classics like Incubus without the subtitles. What's that, you haven't heard of William Shatner's pre- Star Trek, all Esperanto romp? Crack open your machine translator and head past the break, then. Continue reading Google adds Esperanto as its 64th machine translatable language Google adds Esperanto as its 64th machine translatable language originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TheNextWeb | Google Translate Blog | Email this | Comments | | Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 12-65 hits North America in March for $11,350 Feb 23rd 2012, 11:19 | Have you been shoring up funds since you first heard about the Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 12-65 last month? We sure hope so. The company has announced that its 65-inch full HD and 3D compatible plasma TV will hit showrooms in the Canada, Mexico and the US in a matter of days. Featuring an integrated center speaker and a NeoPDP panel, the BeoVision display will carry a hefty price tag of $11,350. If money really is no object, you can spring for the $19,749 package that includes the B&O's BeoSystem 3 'stage manager' for your living room. The 12-65 arrives stateside in March, so you've got a short time to finish getting your finances in order. But for now, hit the eyes-on gallery below for another look before committing. Continue reading Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 12-65 hits North America in March for $11,350 Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 12-65 hits North America in March for $11,350 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Shanghai court rejects Proview injunction, okays the sale of Apple iPads Feb 23rd 2012, 11:03 | The legal tussle between Apple and Proview over the iPad has swung in Cupertino's direction. According to Chinese news outlet Xinmin, a Shanghai court has rebuffed Proview's demand for an injunction halting the sale of the Apple tablet due to licensing issues. The Pudong New Area People's Court made the decision yesterday, stating that while the Guangdong court case has yet to make a final decision on who owns the "iPad" trademark, there wasn't enough evidence on Proview's side to honor an injunction. For those who've just caught up with the story, here's a quick overview: starting in 2000, Proview's Taiwan branch registered the "iPad" trademark in several countries, with the Shenzhen branch doing the same in China. Apple then bought worldwide rights from Proview Taiwan, which would have included China. Proview Shenzhen, who has gone into debt restructuring since 2010, is now saying that it never authorized its Taiwan counterpart to do so, but Apple claims that it has Proview Shenzhen's signatures on the paperwork. It looks like eventually it's going to get easier to grab that iPad in China, though if Apple's appeal case in the Guangdong court fails, then Proview could easily strike again with more ammo. Shanghai court rejects Proview injunction, okays the sale of Apple iPads originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Xinmin | Email this | Comments | |
