| AT&T plans to shut down entire 2G network by 2017 Aug 3rd 2012, 19:42  AT&T has only just begun the transition away from 2G services with its spectrum refarming in New York City, but it now has a target end date to mark on the calendar: January 1st, 2017. Courtesy of an SEC filing, we know that the carrier hopes that both its GSM voice and EDGE data networks will have gone to the great cell tower in the sky before we're popping the champagne corks about four and a half years from now. The Big Blue Ball expects the transition to be a smooth one, as only 12 percent of its regular subscribers are using 2G-only phones today; if it ever gets bumpy, the company promises to "proactively" steer the holdouts towards 3G and 4G. Don't get too misty-eyed. While the transition will mark the end to what's arguably one of the most definitive chapters in US cellular history, that far-flung date will likely come well after most of us have moved on -- much like the AMPS shutdown, it could be less of a bang and more of a whimper. Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless AT&T plans to shut down entire 2G network by 2017 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Wall Street Journal |  AT&T | Email this | Comments | | Kobo for Android gets updated with support for extra languages, more Facebook integration Aug 3rd 2012, 19:12  App updates are always nice, right? Well, if you're an avid user of Kobo's intellectual offerings on Android handsets and slates, you'll be happy to know the all-things-eReader service has rolled out a fresh update to its eBooks application. Most notably, this new version brings support for an array of new languages within the app, such as French, Italian, Dutch, German and Spanish. That's not it, however, and in addition to gaining a "multi-language experience," Kobo's eBooks application now also offers an in-book progress indicator, a two-page landscape view for folks using tablets and the ability to share current readings with friends on Facebook or Kobo Pulse. As usual, you'll find the refreshed goods inside Google's Play store, link for that is down below. Continue reading Kobo for Android gets updated with support for extra languages, more Facebook integration Filed under: Software Kobo for Android gets updated with support for extra languages, more Facebook integration originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Kobo (Google Play) | Email this | Comments | | Poll: Is Mountain Lion devouring your Mac's battery life? Aug 3rd 2012, 18:49  We've seen plenty of users report that Apple's latest OS, Mountain Lion, has caused a massive drop in battery life. While we haven't been able to confirm any decrease in longevity with our own OS 10.8 machines, which include previous generation MacBook Pros and the company's latest Retina model, it's clear that some of you who were able to get the operating system downloaded and installed have experienced some not-so-favorable side effects with your Pros and MacBook Airs. While there are plenty of theories, there has yet to be a fix, though Apple is reportedly investigating the issue. This isn't the first time users have reported decreased battery life after an OS update, with a lengthy support thread popping up after Lion's release last year. So, how has the upgrade affected you? Sound off in the poll below to let us know. View Poll Filed under: Software Poll: Is Mountain Lion devouring your Mac's battery life? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Forbes, ArsTechnica | Apple Discussions (Mountain Lion) | Email this | Comments | | TouchPad gets an early taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean courtesy of CyanogenMod 10 (video) Aug 3rd 2012, 18:20  Want the latest version of Android on your device? Sure, we all do, and despite HP having put the TouchPad out to pasture long ago, the modder community isn't giving up hope. One brave soul over at Xda Developers who goes by the handle Jscullins can (and should) be thanked for bringing bargain tablet lovers a dose of CyanogenMod 10. It's still a preview build lacking, among other things, sound and video acceleration, but if you absolutely have to get a buttery smooth UI on your tablet right now hit up the source link for the download. Or, you could just check out the video of it in action after the break courtesy of Liliputing. It's probably safer. Continue reading TouchPad gets an early taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean courtesy of CyanogenMod 10 (video) Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software TouchPad gets an early taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean courtesy of CyanogenMod 10 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Lilputing, Slashgear | Xda Developers | Email this | Comments | | French hackers connect a shock collar to a Sega Genesis, let obscenities fly (video) Aug 3rd 2012, 17:59  There are masochists, and then there are masochists. We'd have to put French hackers Dyak and Furrtek in the latter category. The two ingenious and self destructive modders tweaked the beloved Sega Genesis to send signals to a pair of controllers any time the player takes damage. That signal doesn't produce rumbles or blinking lights, however, it's passed through a port to a shock collar meant for dogs. That's right, every time you get hit, you get zapped. The jolt of electricity you receive is hardly deadly, but it's certainly not pleasant, as you can tell from the barrage of obscenities bleeped out of the above video. The hack isn't exactly easy but, if you're bold, and don't mind a bit of pain, you'll find full details of the mod at the source link. Filed under: Gaming French hackers connect a shock collar to a Sega Genesis, let obscenities fly (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink NoWhereElse | Furrtek | Email this | Comments | |
