Friday, May 11, 2012

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Spotify offers up playlist radio stations and more with latest upgrade
May 11th 2012, 14:58

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For an upgrade with a fairly underwhelming number like 0.8.3 attached, the latest version of the Spotify desktop client brings the goods. First up is much requested the ability to create radio stations based on playlists or albums, with the click of a button (that would be the Start Playlist Radio or Start Album Radio button, for the record), generating a queue of similar music. A new boost to search brings up music in the main view when you hover over it in search results, while embedable HTML codes have been added to right click functionality. The service has also added Tumblr posting to the game. The update is rolling out today for Windows and Mac users. More info in the source link below.

Spotify offers up playlist radio stations and more with latest upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceSpotify  | Email this | Comments

Redsn0w 0.9.11b1 now allows post-iPad 2 devices to downgrade to an older firmware
May 11th 2012, 14:41

Redsn0w 0.9.11b1 now allows post-iPad 2 devices to downgrade to an older firmware

Per usual, the Dev-Team whiz-kids have been hard at work trying to make your jailbroken iOS life a tad bit easier. This time around, MuscleNerd & Co. have outed their latest revision of RedSn0w (0.9.11b1), allowing folks using the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone 4S to downgrade to lower firmwares for jailbreaking purposes -- a feature others have been enjoying for some time now. As expected, you'd still need those saved SHSH blobs from the previous firmware in order to do so, and if your device depends on an unofficial unlock, it's recommended (with a few exceptions) to steer clear since this method will upgrade your baseband. Speaking of, the Dev-Team also notes you should stick with a previous version of Redsn0w unless you must have the new tidbits. Those of you eager to give it a try can head over to the Dev-Tem Blog to grab yourself a copy.

Redsn0w 0.9.11b1 now allows post-iPad 2 devices to downgrade to an older firmware originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Jailbreak Untethered  |  sourceDev-Team Blog  | Email this | Comments

Nintendo to pull the plug on 3D TV service in Japan
May 11th 2012, 14:19

Nintendo to pulls the plug on 3D TV service in Japan

If you were still holding out for those 3D-erific videos of cute dogs and sumo wrestlers for your American 3DS via Nintendo's "Itsu no Ma ni Terebi" service, bad news just got badder. In short, it's not coming. Ever. In fact, worse than that, the service will take its last look at the rising sun on the 20th of June, as Nintendo has announced that it's shuttering the service one day short of a year since it launched. There is mention of occasional content coming to both 2D and 3D devices via the Nintendo Video service, but if we didn't know better, we'd suggest this is Kyoto's way of saying "I'll call you".

Nintendo to pull the plug on 3D TV service in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Kotaku  |  sourceNintendo (Japanese)  | Email this | Comments

Engadget Podcast 293 - 05.11.2012
May 11th 2012, 14:00

Looking for the real dirt behind all the salacious, earth-shaking news from the Cellular Telephone Industries Association's 2012 throwdown? You won't find it here, and that's only because you won't find it anywhere, because there wasn't any. What we can offer instead, though, is a recording of two men having a startlingly civil and even-tempered discussion about the issues such a dearth leaves in its wake. The men then take your questions, and it's an Engadget Podcast, the Grey Poupoun of the technology podcasting community.

Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Orbital - Never

00:03:20 - CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices

00:04:06 - Samsung Focus 2 for AT&T hands-on at CTIA 2012 (update: video)

00:04:40 - HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE for Verizon hands-on at CTIA 2012 (update: video)

00:05:05 - HTC EVO 4G LTE for Sprint review

00:06:37 - Sprint Galaxy Nexus review

00:12:25 - iCache Geode digital wallet hands-on (video)

00:22:40 - Live from CTIA with Jim Cramer and the CEOs of the four largest US carriers!

00:23:00 - Live from President Bill Clinton's CTIA keynote

00:25:18 - Hands-on with SuperTooth Disco2

00:39:02 - HP on laptop design similarities with Apple's: it's a struggle as we drive to simplicity

00:55:00 - Listener questions


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Engadget Podcast 293 - 05.11.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Media files:
Engadget_Podcast_293.mp3 (audio/mpeg, 44 MB)
LG Optimus Elite on pre-order at Virgin Mobile; carrier's first NFC phone
May 11th 2012, 13:39

LG Optimus Elite on pre-order at Virgin Mobile; carrier's first NFC phone

Sprint may already count the LG Optimus Elite among its roster of smartphones, but today that handset is finding a second home at Virgin Mobile. The $150 Gingerbread-powered device is now up for pre-order, and Virgin says it will start shipping on May 15th. Though the 3.5-inch HVGA display, 800MHz CPU and 5-MP rear camera aren't exactly impressive specs, the Optimus Elite stands out as the carrier's first phone to include NFC and Google Wallet for mobile payments. Unlike Sprint, which offers a white version, Virgin Mobile will only sell the Optimus Elite in silver. And while the former carrier prices the phone at just $30 after a mail-in rebate, Virgin's cheaper monthly plans might convince customers that it's worth shelling out more up front.

LG Optimus Elite on pre-order at Virgin Mobile; carrier's first NFC phone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVirgin Mobile  | Email this | Comments

ASUS PadFone's real world battery life: 14.1 hours of 3G browsing in laptop mode
May 11th 2012, 13:18

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Since the official launch at MWC, ASUS has been mum on how many hours its upcoming PadFone can stay on the treadmill for, but earlier today, we spotted an official promotional video -- which has since been removed from ASUS's YouTube channel -- that mentioned 16 hours of battery for the phone itself, 63 for tablet mode and 102 for laptop mode. Something smells funny here so we pinged ASUS, and guess what? Those turned out to be just continuous talk time over 2G, so perhaps said video clip was pulled to be re-edited.

Conveniently, ASUS was also kind enough to share some very realistic battery life figures from the lab. With the corresponding screen set to 137 nits (about half the brightness), you get the following for phone mode, tablet mode and laptop mode, respectively: 2.6 hours, 10.7 hours and 17 hours of continuous WiFi browsing; and 2.1 hours, 8.9 hours and 14.1 hours of continuous 3G browsing. Just as promised before, the PadFone Station (the tablet) and the PadFone Station Dock (the keyboard) do seem to pump up the battery by about five-fold and nine-fold max, respectively.

Now sure, these may make the 1,520mAh battery inside the phone look feeble and silly, but do bear in mind that these aren't the "up to" numbers. As always, stay tuned for our own tests whenever the PadFone finally lands on our doorstep.

ASUS PadFone's real world battery life: 14.1 hours of 3G browsing in laptop mode originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 40: the battle for smartphone dominance continues and we go hands-on at CTIA 2012
May 11th 2012, 13:15

Distro Issue 40: the battle for smartphone dominance continues and we go hands-on at CTIA 2012

Having trouble with the barrage of smartphone news in recent weeks? Don't worry, we've got you covered in this Friday's edition of our e-publication. The focus this week is the on-going quest for the ultimate smartphone champion. In our search, we take a look at the recently outted Samsung Galaxy S III while putting both the AT&T HTC One X and the Sprint Galaxy Nexus through their paces. While he's a fan of their thin frames, Darren Murph demands better battery life in new laptops and his editorial offers some thoughts on the matter. Our hands-on section is all CTIA this week, as we look back at a handful of gadgets that caught our eye. Smartphone reviews just not doing the trick this week? Well, we take the Jawbone Big Jambox for a spin in this week's issue as well. Yes, all the regulars are here -- including Reaction Time with a word on The Avengers and Call of Duty. Stat takes a look at phone profits, Switched On tackles smartplayers, IRL takes another peek in our backpacks, Square's CTO Bob Lee gets cozy with the Q&A and Dustin Harbin offers the Last Word on excessive texters. So, grab a seat in your favorite reading chair and hit the download link of your choice to get your copy of our tablet mag.

Distro Issue 40 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (For sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Distro Issue 40: the battle for smartphone dominance continues and we go hands-on at CTIA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTunes, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

FCC Fridays: May 11, 2012
May 11th 2012, 04:17

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We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: May 11, 2012

FCC Fridays: May 11, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 00:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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