| MasterCard introduces PayPass Wallet Services, Online and API at CTIA 2012 May 7th 2012, 22:29  MasterCard's PayPass is certainly one of the bigger players in the contactless payment scene. But, simply putting a few thousand branded payment terminals in stores across the nation isn't enough. The next step is expanding that empire, not only in terms of locations and handsets, but by turning the phone into just an accessory in a larger ecosystem. PayPass Wallet Services is a new umbrella product that includes an online payment system, a branded service and an API that allows developers to integrate PayPass into their own proprietary offerings. Simply put, PayPass is no longer a product, but a platform. The service remembers not only credit cards, but shipping addresses and other identifying info that streamlines the shopping process, while the API means that others can build value added offerings around PayPass. There's even a dedicated Android app. The company is hoping to have the system ready for a broad roll out by the third quarter of the year. When that time comes, a pile of partners have pledged to support it in various ways. The names on that list should ring at least a few bells: Intel, Banes & Noble, Newegg, MLB and American Airlines. It all seems pretty impressive (though, we'll reserve judgement till we get to try it out). Your move, Google. Continue reading MasterCard introduces PayPass Wallet Services, Online and API at CTIA 2012 MasterCard introduces PayPass Wallet Services, Online and API at CTIA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Samsung Focus 2 for AT&T hands-on at CTIA 2012 (update: video) May 7th 2012, 21:53  It's the first night of action at CTIA Wireless 2012, and we're not wasting any time finding the best of what New Orleans has to offer. To start things off properly, we got some time with the Samsung Focus 2, announced by AT&T earlier this morning as the latest addition to the network's healthy Windows Phone lineup. Of course, the phone's no stranger to being in front of the cameras -- this is just the first time it's occurred without any shroud of secrecy surrounding it. So what kind of specs come with the Focus 2? The $50 handset, due out on May 20th, offers a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display, a 1.4GHz CPU with unspecified RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera capable of recording 720p HD video, a VGA cam on the front and LTE connectivity. The Focus 2, without a doubt, feels completely tiny in our hands when compared to Nokia and HTC's latest Windows Phone entries. And at 4.3 ounces, it's incredibly light as well -- sadly, the device's 11.98mm thickness was a slight disappointment for us. Aside from the inclusion of LTE and a 1,750mAh user-removable battery, we're not quite sure the reasoning behind it. With that said, anything with a display smaller than 4.3 inches these days seems immensely easy to grip, regardless. When handling the phone, we couldn't help but think of the similarly-designed Galaxy Blaze 4G, as the two devices appear to have come from the same mold. Overall, this isn't a device meant for power users, and it faces some heavy competition against the Nokia Lumia 900 in price point (though the Focus 2 is slightly less expensive than the Lumia's normal subsidized cost). But for anyone who enjoys a Windows Phone with a smaller display and was disappointed in the lack of LTE connectivity on the Focus Flash, this will be the ideal handset for you. If your curiosity is getting the best of you, go below to see the full gallery. Update: Hit the break for our hands-on video. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. Continue reading Samsung Focus 2 for AT&T hands-on at CTIA 2012 (update: video) Samsung Focus 2 for AT&T hands-on at CTIA 2012 (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Must See HDTV (May 7th - 13th) May 7th 2012, 21:47  24/7 Wild
The US rebroadcast of BBC's Planet Earth Live gets started tonight on National Geographic Wild, retitled 24/7 Wild. With a focus on simultaneously following many different groups and types of animals all around the world during this spring, it should bring an all new look at life for documentary fans, and some spectacular HD shots.
(May 7th, 9PM, National Geographic Wild) Fringe
This week on Fringe the team... ok, we're really not sure what's going on anymore. Somewhere in the twists of alternate universes and timelines we get left behind, but William Bell is back and that's probably not a good thing. Season four wraps up this week, tune in on Friday to get your last taste before the network closes things out with a short 13-episode run next season.
(May 11th, 9PM, Fox) Continue reading Must See HDTV (May 7th - 13th) Must See HDTV (May 7th - 13th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Toshiba Excite 10 ICS tablet goes on sale, prices start at $450 for 16GB model May 7th 2012, 21:27  It's been a little less than a month since Toshiba unveiled its trio of Ice Cream Sandwich slates, the Excite 7.7, 10 and 13, and starting today you'll be able to grab one of these for yourself. Unlike we'd previously heard, though, Toshiba's pricing the 16GB, 10.1-inch Excite at $449.99 -- which is 50 bucks less than what we were told back when it was announced. Meanwhile, if you're looking for the more spacious 32GB and 64GB models, you'll have to drop about $530 and $650, respectively. In exchange for that cash, you'll be getting an NVIDIA Tegra 3 SoC CPU and a taste of vanilla-flavored Android 4.0, among other things. We know Toshiba's got you excited, so head over to one of the source links below to pop your order in. Otherwise you can wait until the other two slabs go on sale next month. Continue reading Toshiba Excite 10 ICS tablet goes on sale, prices start at $450 for 16GB model Toshiba Excite 10 ICS tablet goes on sale, prices start at $450 for 16GB model originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Toshiba, Amazon | Email this | Comments | | Twitter makes its mobile site more feature phone friendly May 7th 2012, 21:02  When you look at the latest, greatest devices from Apple, Samsung, Motorola and the like all day, it can be easy to forget that not everyone out there is sporting a smartphone. But feature phone users have thoughts and feelings that need to be tweeted at all times, too. It's a good thing then, that Twitter's seen fit to update its mobile site to help offer a more uniform experience to users with old browsers, low bandwidth and handsets that don't quite fit under the "smart-" moniker. The new mobile site, available at mobile.twitter.com, rolls out today. Twitter makes its mobile site more feature phone friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Twitter | Email this | Comments | | Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video) May 7th 2012, 20:35  O ye unfaithful, believe. For those of you who saw Rimac's preview of its Concept_One electric supercar and were skeptical of that claimed 2.8-second 0-62MPH time given all the leisurely putting around, the Croatian automaker has followed up with a video proving that this isn't your daddy's EV. It turns out that the 1,088HP-equivalent motor is quick enough to leave a lot of rubber on the tarmac, thank you -- both from a very enthusiastic start and from a healthy amount of drifting. This won't change the need to both drop $980,000 and get in quick on that 88-unit production run, but if you were worried that there wouldn't be a torch-bearer for high-speed EVs during the Tesla Roadster's hiatus, Rimac just put that anxiety to bed. Continue reading Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video) Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
