| Xbox 360 spring update rolling out to some now, everyone else next week Jun 12th 2012, 19:43  It doesn't bring quite the overhaul that previous updates have, but at least some Xbox 360 users should be seeing a new software update available the next time they turn on their console. Xbox's Major Nelson confirmed on Twitter today that the spring update is rolling out to "a few" users this week, with everyone else set to receive it next week. As for details on the update, he's only gone as far as to confirm that it contains "behind the scenes improvements & prep for future enhancements." Presumably, those future enhancements include many of the new features we saw at E3 last week, but there's still no official word as to when they'll actually roll out. Xbox 360 spring update rolling out to some now, everyone else next week originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  @majornelson (1), (2) | Email this | Comments | | Netflix app for the Nintendo Wii U, pictured Jun 12th 2012, 18:36  Nintendo vowed at E3 to provide Netflix on the Wii U, but tracking down the mythical streaming video beast has proven elusive. Thankfully, Engadget has obtained the first shots illustrating how it will work. While it's a prototype that could easily change between now and the Wii U's holiday release (or whenever the app is available), what we've seen so far makes it clear Netflix will milk that second screen for all it's worth. The GamePad is normally used to browse the movie queue and playback controls without distracting from the video on the TV. Should Junior want to catch up on his favorite flick while you're on a Breaking Bad marathon, the reverse will also work: the video can play on the controller while the TV is at most used to show what's playing, and more likely switched over to your DVR. Questions still remain on deck, like whether or not the video can seamlessly hand off from one screen to the other, but for now it's nice to see that Netflix on the Wii U is more than just a quick-and-dirty port. Netflix app for the Nintendo Wii U, pictured originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | V-Moda VAMP for the iPhone: an analog converter and headphone amp with a $650 pricetag Jun 12th 2012, 18:14  If money really isn't an issue when it comes to your search for the finest sound possible from your iPhone, V-Moda has a new accessory for you to consider. The company has announced the VAMP: an iPhone 4 / 4S case that converts digital to analog for hi-fi listening. How does it work? Well, the kit uses a 150mW x 2 amplifier to bypass the smartphone's internals to offer the auditory elbow grease needed to adequately power that set of fancy headphones. For controls, you can expect a volume knob, hi / lo gain switch and toggle switch with LED indicator for either Pure or VQ listening mode. There's also an optical audio output for using your phone as a vehicle "for the purest and unparalleled audio listening experience," but you'll have to splurge for an extra cable to do so. In addition to the aforementioned conversion, the aircraft-grade metal add-on provides eight hours of playback from it's own battery -- which can be used as a backup for your Apple handset, should the need arise. Sound good so far? Well, the VAMP is now shipping and will set you back a whopping $650 with $50 of the asking price benefitting the InTheLoop Foundation. You know, if you happen to really love listening to Sigur Rós on the go and are obsessed with high fidelity playback.
Continue reading V-Moda VAMP for the iPhone: an analog converter and headphone amp with a $650 pricetag V-Moda VAMP for the iPhone: an analog converter and headphone amp with a $650 pricetag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | V-Moda | Email this | Comments | | Rivals AMD and ARM unite, summon others to become 'heterogeneous' Jun 12th 2012, 17:30  Rumors of a hook-up between AMD and ARM have been circulating ever since someone coined the phrase "the enemy of Intel is my friend." As of today, however, that alliance is real and cemented in the form of the HSA Foundation -- a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the dark arts of Heterogeneous System Architecture. It's a relatively old concept in computing, but the Foundation's founding partners (AMD, ARM, Imagination Technologies, MediaTek and Texas Instruments) all stand to gain from its wider adoption. How come? Because it involves boosting a chip's performance by making it use its various components as co-processors, rather than treating them as specialized units that can never help each other out. In other words, while Intel pursues Moore's Law and packs ever-more sophisticated transistors into its CPUs, AMD, ARM and the other HSA pals want to achieve similar or better results through parallel computing. In most cases, that'll mean using the graphics processor on a chip not only for visuals and gaming, but also for general tasks and apps. This can already be achieved using a programming language called OpenCL, but AMD believes it's too tricky to code and is putting mainstream developers off. Equally, NVIDIA has long had its own language for the same purpose, called CUDA, but it's proprietary. Whatever niche is left in the middle, the HSA Foundation hopes to fill it with an easier and more open standard that is not only cross-OS but also transcends the PC / mobile divide. If it works, it'll give us a noticeable surge in computational power in everyday apps by 2014. If it fails, these new-found friends can go back to the less awkward custom of ignoring each other. Continue reading Rivals AMD and ARM unite, summon others to become 'heterogeneous' Rivals AMD and ARM unite, summon others to become 'heterogeneous' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | ASUS PadFone review Jun 12th 2012, 16:16  It's been a long ride for the PadFone. ASUS' last smartphone was the Android 2.1-powered A10 from two years ago, then five months later the company ended its smartphone partnership with Garmin (though they're still friends). The next thing we knew, the outfit was openly considering Windows Phone, but obviously nothing came to fruition despite its E600 engineering units floating about in the wild. Meanwhile, a bunch of Android Eee Pads started entering the market to get a slice of that hot tablet pie. Eventually, the PadFone shocked the industry at last year's Computex (remember our brilliant mockup based on the teaser pics?), but ASUS went on to miss its Christmas launch target, allowing it extra time to rejig the phone's software and design. Then CES and MWC went by, with the latter hosting the official launch event to unveil the PadFone's final design and availability date. This time, the new April target was missed by only three weeks, and shortly afterwards we got hold of our retail unit from Taiwan, which is still the only place where you can get hold of the product. But enough with the story. What we want to know is whether ASUS' courageous and unique project has all the right ingredients to squeeze itself into a market now dominated by the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC. Most importantly, will the company set a new trend with this two- or three-in-one form factor -- in the same way it did with netbooks -- thus taking the Android ecosystem to the next level? Let's see. Continue reading ASUS PadFone review ASUS PadFone review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | HTC confirms One S with 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3 being sold 'in select markets' Jun 12th 2012, 15:22  Confirming the news that HTC's One S had arrived in the mother land of Taiwan toting a higher-clocked (but older) Snapdragon processor, the company has added where this rejigged device is headed -- at least broadly. While the US, UK, Japan, Korean, France and Germany have been enjoying the high-performance thrills of a dual-core Snapdragon S4, according to The Verge, the S3 variant will launch across Asia-Pacific regions and some (as-yet unspecified) European markets. HTC will, however, be marking out which sort of processing hardware's inside the two models -- if it's got a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, you've got the Snapdragon S3, if it's 1.5GHz then you have the newer S4. The company is also working to claim more of Qualcomm's latest mobile processor for the One S roll-out, but we'd advise checking the spec sheet before you take the plunge in the aforementioned regions. HTC confirms One S with 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3 being sold 'in select markets' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Verge | Email this | Comments | | Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300), courtesy of Bubbly! Jun 12th 2012, 15:01  Now here's a giveaway we know you'll really like: an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III (aka GT-I9300)! The Korean giant's latest flagship is the talk of the Android community right now, so of course you're going to want to make it your daily driver. Thanks to Bubble Motion, the developer behind Bubbly, you now have that chance. Bubbly is a "voice social network," which means you can create and share short voice updates with followers -- sort of like a Twitter for soundbytes. It's free to sign up, and it's available on Android and iOS. Intrigued? Head to the links below to grab the app! With this particular contest, there's just one additional rule: when you leave a comment, be sure to tell us what celebrity you'd most like to hear voice status updates from. Good luck! Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300), courtesy of Bubbly! Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300), courtesy of Bubbly! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | NASA opens up Launch Control Center for public tours Jun 12th 2012, 14:42  The NASA control center, responsible for a huge chunk of space-faring history, will open its doors to tour groups for the first time in over 30 years, celebrating the Kennedy Space Center's 50th anniversary. Starting this Friday, a "limited number" of tours will take bright-eyed enthusiasts into the Launch Control Center, where all 152 launches were counted down -- visitors will even get to peer at the very same clock. NASA has also granted access to the "bubble room", which is surrounded by windows showing what went on in the firing room just below. The daily tour also throws in a drive-by viewing of one of the shuttle launch pads. The tours will run through the end of 2012 -- adults will need to fork out an extra $25, while kids will cost $19 on top of the typical entrance fee. [Image Credit: Britannica Online, 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com] NASA opens up Launch Control Center for public tours originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Space | Email this | Comments | | Sanho HyperJuice Plug solves the multiple iPad owner's power conundrum Jun 12th 2012, 14:21  One for fun, the other for work? If that's how you roll with your iPads, then you might be well trained in the art of battery juggling. If, however, you're not, or you just like to keep things tip-top at all times, then makers of fine accessories, Sanho, have the product for you. The company claims the HyperJuice Plug is the world's first 15,600 mAh portable battery pack that can recharge a brace of iPads at the same time -- complete with retractable wall plug for convenience. It's not just Apple's slates, of course, with pretty much all USB gadgets being able to mainline the 15 watts (sharable over two ports) of juice. The HyperJuice Plug launched this week at the Singapore PC show, and lands in six "juicy" colors, yours from an equally juiced up $129. Continue reading Sanho HyperJuice Plug solves the multiple iPad owner's power conundrum Sanho HyperJuice Plug solves the multiple iPad owner's power conundrum originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | HyperShop | Email this | Comments | | Engadget HD Podcast 303 - 06.12.2012 Jun 12th 2012, 14:00  Apple's WWDC keynote did not reveal many directly TV related technologies, but its new Retina Display laptops are definitely in our wheelhouse so we'll start there. Of course, for true audiovisual bliss it's hard to beat the promise of either Dolby Atmos theaters or 8K Ultra HDTV Super Hi-Vision broadcasts, so we'll tell you where to find both. While Comcast is rolling out more TiVos and Sky is (slightly) updating its guide, the wildest innovation at the moment is coming from Google and Intel's attempts to brute-force their way into the TV market. Finally we've got some kiosk and digital movie rental news before we check in with our thoughts on Prometheus (spoiler alert!) in 3D and finally what we're watching this week.
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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)
Producer: Trent Wolbe 00:09:05 - Apple announces first Retina display in a MacBook, 220ppi with 2880 x 1800 resolution
00:24:52 - Dolby reveals Atmos launch locations, invites you to come and 'see' the sound
00:26:20 - NHK lays out Olympic broadcast plans, Super Hi-Vision test viewing locations in Japan
00:27:10 - YouTube will live stream HD Olympics coverage to 64 territories in Asia, Africa
00:28:45 - Comcast VOD for TiVo Premieres expands to Boston, old Comcast TiVos shut off in August
00:29:45 - Sky+ rolls out a new HD guide starting today, keeps live, DVR and VOD TV level
00:31:08 - Google Fiber GFHD100 'IP set-top box' breezes through the FCC, doesn't say where it's headed
00:33:20 - Intel's TV service aims at Nielsen, big cable, might not get here
00:35:30 - Disney troubled over early offering of John Carter DVD by Netflix and Redbox
00:38:36 - Walmart ad hints at Vudu streaming on Roku players
00:40:09 - Google TV update touts Google Play and YouTube movie rentals, distinct lack of popcorn
00:41:00 - Must See HDTV (June 11th - 17th) Hear the podcast
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LISTEN (AAC) Filed under: Podcasts Engadget HD Podcast 303 - 06.12.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
