| Toshiba Excite 13 review: a big-screened tablet with a price to match Jun 25th 2012, 19:00  Well, this lede pretty much wrote itself. A 13-inch tablet, seriously? Toshiba is pushing the form factor limits with the Excite 13, and while its dimensions make it stand out in a sea of 7- and 10-inch devices, that isn't necessarily what tablet buyers are looking for. There's no shortage of skepticism about such a large slate -- "slab" seems appropriate here -- so the Toshiba Excite 13 needs to provide an exceptional experience, with a brilliant display and smooth graphics, to make 2.2 pounds seem more palatable. On paper, its specs are promising: there's a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU under the hood, a 1600 x 900 display at 138 ppi and a clean build of Android 4.0. The company already has the Excite 7.7 and Excite 10 in its arsenal, and their good performance and bright displays make for compelling tablets. But how does a 13-inch tablet that starts at $650 round out that trio? Read on for our full impressions. Continue reading Toshiba Excite 13 review: a big-screened tablet with a price to match Toshiba Excite 13 review: a big-screened tablet with a price to match originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Nest partners with Texas utility, offers intelligent thermostat to energy-conscious households Jun 25th 2012, 18:51  What's next for an energy-efficient thermostat designed by ex-Apple engineers? A limited promotion with a utilities provider to make it even more legit, that's what. Now that Nest has broached online mega-retailer Amazon's virtual shelves, the next stop on its trendy household domination tour's taking it to Reliant, a Texas-based electricity company. Bundled into the utility's "Learn & Conserve" plan, qualifying residents that sign-up for a two-year rate will receive one of the stylish, WiFi-enabled units, making the business of managing their energy settings a stylish and remotely controllable (via Android or iOS app) affair. Of course, you don't need to be a resident of The Lone Star state to call one of these your own -- Best Buy, Apple and Lowe's will also eagerly claim your cash in exchange for this home-monitoring wündergadget. Nest partners with Texas utility, offers intelligent thermostat to energy-conscious households originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  GigaOm |  Reliant | Email this | Comments | | Apple sends iOS 6 beta 2 to developers Jun 25th 2012, 18:32  The wait between iOS 6's unveiling and its planned fall release just got a little bit shorter, as Apple has just pushed out beta 2. If you're in the developer crowd that can try it out, don't expect any revelations: the primarily focus is on the bug fixes that nudge the software closer to a final release. As in past years, multiple additional betas are expected between now and the time the iOS 6 is ready to come to the general public, so there's likely still lots of room left for Apple to polish the release to a shine. Those paid up on their developer accounts can grab the update through the usual means and see just how much luster has been added since WWDC.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Apple sends iOS 6 beta 2 to developers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | 9to5 Mac | Email this | Comments | | Gmail for iOS gets notification support and persistent logins, brings joy to Apple mobile masses Jun 25th 2012, 18:21  It took quite awhile for the official Gmail app to arrive for our Apple-toting friends, but when it debuted, it lacked many features enjoyed by Android users. Well, today the iOS Gmail app got a refresh that brings it a bit closer to the green bot version. Chiefly, notification support to allow folks to set up banner alerts and lock screen notifications, so they no longer have to check their inbox for new messages. Not only that, the app now has persistent login capability, meaning no more re-entry of your Gmail credentials every time you're preoccupied slaying space pigs for a few hours. Interested parties can hit the source link to get the new goodies. Gmail for iOS gets notification support and persistent logins, brings joy to Apple mobile masses originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | iTunes, Gmail Blog | Email this | Comments | | IK Multimedia iRig MIX review: a mobile mixer built for iDevices Jun 25th 2012, 18:00  Accessories, iOS has them. Not many devices can boast the same rich and dazzling array of add-ons that the iPhone or iPad enjoy -- from keyboards to docks, arcade cabinets to battery packs. Today's offering? A mobile mixer. The iRig MIX from IK Multimedia, to be precise. It's essentially a mini DJ tool, designed to work with such iGadgets, and brought to you by the same serial audio-accessorizers behind the iRig MIC Cast and AmpliTube. If you think you've seen this fella before, then you likely have, as this got its first glimpse of sunlight back at CES. Now it's here for real, auditioning for your affections as if it were on "American Idol." While it's easy to dismiss some of the more ambitious accessories as as trying to push the limits of iPad / iPhone functionality to the extreme, it's also worth remembering that accessory X isn't always about replacing object Y. No one ever bought a USB webcam thinking it'd turn them into Spielberg, now did they? But, they might have gotten one thinking it would give their PC some skills it never had before. So it's with this short, preemptive missive in mind that we turn on the iRig MIX, plug in and rock out. Hopefully. Continue reading IK Multimedia iRig MIX review: a mobile mixer built for iDevices IK Multimedia iRig MIX review: a mobile mixer built for iDevices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Samsung Galaxy Note for T-Mobile pops up in claimed press shots, we try to feign surprise Jun 25th 2012, 17:46  There's been demo units, FCC filings and the obligatory blurry photos, so it was only a matter of time before leaked press imagery completed our picture of a Galaxy Note for T-Mobile USA. As long as they're not cosmetic makeovers by wishful T-Mobile fans, the CellPhoneSignal images portray... well, a Galaxy Note. No exotic colors, no obvious clues supporting talk that it ships with a preloaded Android 4.0 upgrade. Most of the hardware changes, then, should be all about adapting the HSPA+ 3G to support T-Mobile's airwaves. Unconfirmed talk has the Galaxy Note reaching Magenta on July 11th; that's nine months after the original version popped up, but we're sure some will be thankful just to have more choices than AT&T for that phablet fix. Samsung Galaxy Note for T-Mobile pops up in claimed press shots, we try to feign surprise originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Central | CellPhoneSignal | Email this | Comments | | Samsung: Galaxy S III sales expected to total 10 million by July Jun 25th 2012, 17:06  Korea's golden goose is on track to drop its 10 millionth Galaxy S III by July, according to Samsung mobile head Shin Jong-kyun. The expectation comes despite limited supply, fueled by a component shortage at the smartphone giant. Regardless of this notable shortcoming, Samsung has wasted no time getting its latest handset to market, and expects to deliver the 4.8-inch Galaxy to some 300 carriers in 147 countries by the end of next month, including all of the major UK carriers, along with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon in the US. The sky-high figure is merely an estimate, however, so investors may want to stay tuned for the official announcement before uncorking the Dom. Full details are at the source link below. [Thanks, Joseph] Samsung: Galaxy S III sales expected to total 10 million by July originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | AP | Email this | Comments | | Microsoft job posting hints at Connected Car strategy: Azure, Kinect and WP8 Jun 25th 2012, 16:47  Redmond seems to have more grandiose ideas for Connected Car than it's let on before, judging from a recent help wanted ad on its site. Reading more like PR for its car-based plans, the job notice waxes poetically about using "the full power of the Microsoft ecosystem" in an upcoming auto platform with tech such as Kinect, Azure, Windows 8 and Windows Phone. Those products would use face-tracking, speech and gestures to learn your driving habits and safely guide or entertain you on the road, according to the software engineer listing. It also hints that everything would be tied together using Azure's cloud platform, so that your favorite music or shortcuts would follow you around, even if you're not piloting your own rig. All that makes its original Connected Car plans from 2009 seem a bit laughable -- check the original video for yourself after the break. Continue reading Microsoft job posting hints at Connected Car strategy: Azure, Kinect and WP8 Microsoft job posting hints at Connected Car strategy: Azure, Kinect and WP8 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink SlashGear | Microsoft Careers | Email this | Comments | |
