software Archive

  • HTC: ‘most phones’ launched in 2010 will get Android 2.2

    HTC: ‘most phones’ launched in 2010 will get Android 2.2

    Posted on May 21, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/HTC_most_phones_launched_in_2010_will_get_Android_2_2'; Now that Froyo has gone official, HTC has hurried to reassure customers that most of its 2010 phone catalog will indeed be riding Android 2.2 before the year is through. Prodded on the subject by Pocket-lint, the company has replied that it's starting out with the Desire and Incredible and working through other "hotly anticipated new phones," which should sound a reassuring note for prospective Evo 4G owners. A full list will be provided as we get closer to release, but don't wait with bated breath just yet, current indications are that the software upgrade will be coming in the second half of the year. By which time we'll all probably have a taste for Gingerbread.

    HTC: 'most phones' launched in 2010 will get Android 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 04:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • mSpot stores your music* in the cloud, makes it available anywhere**

    mSpot stores your music* in the cloud, makes it available anywhere**

    Posted on May 19, 2010 | No Comments
    Whoa there, vaquero -- don't get too excited just yet. As with just about every other gratis backup service on the web, there's a catch you should know about with mSpot's latest endeavor. The free limit is right around 2GB (exact size is TBD), so if you've got more than a second generation iPod's worth of audio, this here service will only serve as a tease. For those who fall under that threshold, there's plenty to love, and if you're down for ponying up, you'll be able to secure 10GB for $2.99 per month or 20GB for $4.99 per month. Launched today at Google I/O, this "freemium" music cloud service essentially syncs your entire music library (either in iTunes or a user-designated arrangement of folders) with mSpot's servers -- provided your library is less than 20GB, of course -- and then makes it available anywhere. Phones and other computers should have no issue tapping in (though only Android will be supported out of the gate), and the app itself runs quietly in the background in order to check for new additions / subtractions and mirror said changes in your online library. For now, the service is available by invitation only through mspot.com, with public availability slated for next month. Size limits aside, the service worked well for us in our limited testing, though that first 20GB upload is a real pain over Time Warner Cable's obviously capped Road Runner internet. Oh, and if you're bummed about not being guaranteed an invite today, you shouldn't be. Hit that source link and enter "engadget" as the password -- the first 500 get immediate access, but once they're gone, they're gone.

    *20GB tops, buster!
    **Only on Android, Macs and PCs at first, chief!

    Continue reading mSpot stores your music* in the cloud, makes it available anywhere**

    mSpot stores your music* in the cloud, makes it available anywhere** originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sprint’s Hero finally gets official Android 2.1 upgrade

    Sprint’s Hero finally gets official Android 2.1 upgrade

    Posted on May 19, 2010 | No Comments
    Assuming you resisted the temptation to either root your Hero or update it with the recently leaked 2.1 firmware, this is your very first chance to finally slap on a dash of Android future on your senescent device. Sprint has at long last made the update available, though it isn't quite yet ready to download from its site. Fear not, the good folks behind the yellow network have put together a guide on upgrading through your phone and we'll link up the download as soon as it's ready for consumption. Time to start enjoying that Google Maps Navigation magic and all the other goodies constituting Eclair's delectable filling.

    [Thanks, Jonathan]

    Sprint's Hero finally gets official Android 2.1 upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 06:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option

    iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option

    Posted on May 18, 2010 | No Comments
    See that screen there? That's from the minty fresh beta 4 of iPhone OS 4.0, which was just released to developers moments ago. Unless our eyes are badly mistaken, that's an option to setup internet tethering on AT&T, something that WWAN warriors have been waiting for since... oh, forever. We're downloading the new build as we speak, and we'll let you know if we find anything out. Oh, and don't get your hopes up too high -- AT&T proclaimed that it was "still waiting on better network performance" before enabling iPhone tethering just three weeks ago.

    Update: There's a video of the screens after the break, just in case your belief was temporarily suspended for any reason. Thanks, Jerish!

    Update 2: Well, this is interesting -- we just updated an iPhone 3GS in Chicago, and we're not seeing the tethering option. We're guessing this is a glitch or just a mismatched carrier setting file, since so many others are seeing it, but we'll do some digging and see what's up.

    Update 3: Okay, we've got it sorted -- all it took was a quick network settings reset. Thanks, Gray!

    [Thanks, Pete]

    Continue reading iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option

    iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 includes AT&T tethering option originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 21:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone video hands-on: it works!

    Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone video hands-on: it works!

    Posted on May 17, 2010 | No Comments
    We just got our hands on Wi-FI Sync and guess what? It actually works -- fancy that! For those of you out of the loop, Apple recently rejected this gem of an app (go figure), but thanks to the magic of jailbreaking, that was hardly the end of the road. Days later, Wi-Fi Sync ended up on Cydia (Mac-only, for now) with a completely-affordable price tag of $9.99, promising iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to sync their device with iTunes sans any cabling whatsoever. Since we're notoriously lazy when it comes to actually plugging in our phones and syncing, we fired up the program on our jailbroken 3GS in order to see exactly what the law-abiders in attendance were missing out on.

    Installation couldn't have been easier. We parted ways with our Hamilton, downloaded the necessary companion software for our laptop, and fired up the application. The iPhone was immediately recognized, and after a few prompts we were ready for action. Syncing was just as easy as it normally is (with "easy" being a relative term here), just without that iPod wire hanging around and bumming everyone out. We will say, however, that things weren't as snappy OTA as a standard hardwired connection. It was a bit sluggish on the first couple of runs, and although iTunes crashed a few times (boo), we're fairly confident in saying that a poor WiFi connection was to blame for the jankiness. Once we migrated closer to the router, things went much smoother. Still unsure if it's worth the investment? Then give the video past the break a look.

    Continue reading Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone video hands-on: it works!

    Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone video hands-on: it works! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Skype VP says company isn’t developing software for Windows Phone 7 (Update: it’s ‘on the roadmap’)

    Skype VP says company isn’t developing software for Windows Phone 7 (Update: it’s ‘on the roadmap’)

    Posted on May 13, 2010 | No Comments
    Consider the bombshell dropped. Skype, the godfather of VoIP apps and an increasingly ubiquitous piece of mobile as well as desktop software, has just let it be known that it's not planning on bringing its goodies to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS. Dan Neary, the company's Vice President for the Asia Pacific region, said that it's "not developing software for the new Windows Mobile software due later this year," but seemed reluctant to expand on the reasons why. Perhaps, like Mozilla, the Skype devs felt they weren't getting access to the right tools. Whatever the reason, this would be a major competitive disadvantage for Microsoft's great new hope on the mobile front, which is already expected to launch with a few things missing. Then again, we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves as this isn't an official renouncement from Skype, merely a statement of the status quo -- and from a regional exec at that. All we can take away from it for now is that the road ahead looks a bit bumpier than before for WP7.

    Update: Looks like this quote might've been taken out of context. MobileTechWorld followed up and learned that while Dan Neary left out Windows Mobile and Windows Phone from a list of currently supported platforms (which makes sense, since one is dying and the other isn't out yet), he said Windows Phone 7 "is on the roadmap." The question seems to be more of a "when" than an "if" they'll start building it.

    Skype VP says company isn't developing software for Windows Phone 7 (Update: it's 'on the roadmap') originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 03:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Boxee for iPhone, iPad and Android all but confirmed in Vindicia payment processing deal

    Boxee for iPhone, iPad and Android all but confirmed in Vindicia payment processing deal

    Posted on May 11, 2010 | No Comments
    Oh sure, having Boxee nailed down to the desktop of your PC is fine and dandy, and that Boxee Box will ensure that the same experience is enjoyed by all who plant their fundament in front of your HDTV. But we all know what you're after -- lemon drops. And a mobile version of Boxee. In a post today by the company, it expressed outright joy in inking a deal with Vindicia in order to bring a payment processing solution to the platform; slated for implementation "by the end of the summer," this CashBox add-in would enable users to purchase "premium content" from Boxee's programming partners via credit card, gift card or PayPal. It's a vital step in Boxee finally finding a revenue stream (something it confessed to needing on a previous episode of The Engadget Show), and better still, "Vindicia's flexibility makes it possible for [Boxee] to enable payments on its website and across mobile platforms like the iPhone, Android and iPad." Yeah, those are the company's own words right there, and in case you still aren't believing your eyes, chew on one final quote:
    "Boxee's eventual expansion to these platforms will pave the way for universally accessible content no matter where a user is (we love this idea!)."
    Huzzah!

    Boxee for iPhone, iPad and Android all but confirmed in Vindicia payment processing deal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris getting Android 2.1 any time now

    Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris getting Android 2.1 any time now

    Posted on May 11, 2010 | No Comments
    We'd been hearing rumors lately that HTC's Droid Eris -- a phone that has never quite made it out from under the Droid's shadow -- is in the midst of being discontinued by Verizon, but the imminent launch of an Android 2.1 update might just buy it a new lease on life. In fact, the update makes this phone just about the first Hero variant anywhere in the world to be graced with an upgrade to Google's latest and greatest stuff, beating Sprint's version thanks to a string of delays that have pushed it out to some unidentified period in the second quarter. We've yet to see any reports of folks actually receiving the update notification on their devices, but Verizon's official support Twitter account is tweeting about the upgrade -- which should fix numerous bugs on top of the hotly-anticipated Eclair boost -- so we'd expect it to start hitting the wild shortly. Keep us on top of your experiences in comments, won't you?

    [Thanks, Richard]

    Update: Verizon has now posted the PDF changelog for your perusal while you wait. Thanks, Michael V.!

    Verizon's HTC Droid Eris getting Android 2.1 any time now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson Aino’s new firmware update is all about the two S’s: stability and stamina

    Sony Ericsson Aino’s new firmware update is all about the two S’s: stability and stamina

    Posted on May 11, 2010 | No Comments
    Alright, Aino owners, listen up: firstly, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Secondly, we thought you might like to know that Sony Ericsson has recently released a firmware update for your phone that should make it a bit more livable. Improved system stability and better battery life are both promised, but that's not all -- it's said that you can also expect the WiFi and Bluetooth to work better at the same time (keep in mind they're both running at 2.4GHz, so interference between the two is a well-understood problem). Oh, and there are new features, too: support for MIME type mpeg4-generic videos, the Bubble Town 2 game, and 3 new Sony Ericsson-designed themes. All told, not a bad haul.

    Sony Ericsson Aino's new firmware update is all about the two S's: stability and stamina originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 11 May 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson X10 family to get Android 2.1 in ‘Q4 2010′

    Sony Ericsson X10 family to get Android 2.1 in ‘Q4 2010′

    Posted on May 5, 2010 | No Comments
    The Xperia X10, one of the big mindshare-grabbing devices of the smartphone world, made us wait a cool six months between its November announcement and wide retail availability in April. One of the secret hopes while all that waiting was going on was that perhaps SE would surprise us and upgrade the dusty old Android 1.6 base installation to a fresh and creamy Eclair (2.1) or even a frosty Froyo (2.2) treat shortly after launch. Time to lay those dreams to rest, dear friends, as Sony Ericsson has come with an official schedule for upgrading the firmware on the Xperia X10 and its X10 mini and X10 mini pro siblings, which places the Android 2.1 delivery in the fourth quarter of 2010 -- and knowing the company that probably means closer to Christmas than Halloween. All we can say is you'd better really like that UX platform a great deal, because it'll be the only thing you'll be seeing for quite a while on Sony Ericsson's Googlephones.

    Sony Ericsson X10 family to get Android 2.1 in 'Q4 2010' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Insert smiley emoticons hands-free with Auto Smiley

    Insert smiley emoticons hands-free with Auto Smiley

    Posted on March 23, 2010 | No Comments
    What would you do with the openFrameworks and an hour to kill? Would you create an application to detect when you're smiling and automatically insert ":)" into whatever program is currently running? Theo Watson did, and called it Auto Smiley! :) He released it as open source! :) We can't possibly have enough smiley icons embedded into our emails and IMs can we? :) I mean, we all spend all day every day smiling maniacally, right? :) :) :)

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  • DPS plug-in from Bongiovi Acoustics

    DPS plug-in from Bongiovi Acoustics

    Posted on March 16, 2010 | No Comments
    There’s a disturbing trend in music technology. Although home studios are rising, music is generally still recorded in specially designed environments and at high fidelity. Then for distribution, we compress the hell out of each track and do all sorts of terrible MP3-related things to them. And now, in order to repair the damage, we’re [...]

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  • RealNetworks settles RealDVD lawsuit: Has to cough up $4.5 million, stop supporting the software

    RealNetworks settles RealDVD lawsuit: Has to cough up $4.5 million, stop supporting the software

    Posted on March 4, 2010 | No Comments
    Right around the time the world's financial markets started to collapse, back in 2008, RealNetworks, the folks behind RealPlayer, released RealDVD. It was a short-lived piece of software that made making DVD movie backups fairly painless—too painless for Hollywood, which immediately took RealNetworks to court, claiming all sorts of copyright infringement hokum. That's all in the past now, for RealNetworks has settled with the six "major" Hollywood studios to the sum of $4.5 million. Ouch.

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  • Google working on smartphone software to automatically translate foreign languages into your native tongue

    Google working on smartphone software to automatically translate foreign languages into your native tongue

    Posted on February 7, 2010 | No Comments
    Check your calendar, friends, for the first time in a long time I was just wowed by a tech story. Google says it's working on smartphone software that would automatically translate foreign languages into your native tongue. So, if you're talking to your Venezuelan pen pal, and he says, "No me gusta el fútbol americano," you can react in horror as you try to explain to him the importance of a game where more time is spent setting up plays than actually executing them is the greatest sport in the world. Porqueria.

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