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Archive for the ‘Engadget’ Category

Here are some of last week’s stories on CrunchGear:

Mosquitos of the future may vaccinate against malaria, instead of spread it
Gallery: Thermal imaging of household objects
If only you had actually seen The Hurt Locker
Today in history: the flight data recorder
Video: Mini fuel cell powering a robot fish

When the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic was released a little more than a year ago, we thoroughly panned it in our review -- put simply, it felt undercooked and uncompetitive in a world where webOS, iPhone OS, and Android were all realities, regardless of Nokia's existing smartphone dominance through much of the world. More than a year later, we're now presented with the Nokia Nuron, a pretty close relative of that first S60 5th Edition device from back in the day; it's simply a carrier-branded version of the 5230, which itself is a lower-end variant of the 5800.

Despite its flaws, the 5800 has gone on to become a global success for Nokia -- but can the Nuron do the same in a market traditionally unfazed by Nokia's advances? More directly, has Nokia's first volley in the modern touchphone battle evolved enough to become a prime-time player in the States? Let's find out.

Continue reading Nokia Nuron for T-Mobile review

Nokia Nuron for T-Mobile review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What's a global gaming company to do once they've soundly dominated the portable market? Why, covertly get the DS into schools and restaurants, of course! Shigeru Miyamoto, who created undercover gems like Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda, recently informed the AP that his company would be rolling the DS out "in junior high and elementary schools in Japan starting in the new school year," though few details beyond that were available. We do know, however, that this invasion into the education sector is more than just a fluke, with Miyamoto noting that this very area is where he is "devoting [himself] the most." Of course, the Big N already has a nice stable of mind-bending titles, but getting actual teachers to embrace the device in the classroom would be another thing entirely. In related news, select McDonald's eateries in Japan will be using the DS to train part-time workers, though mum's the word on whether the Cooking Mama franchise will be cashing in here.

Nintendo slipping DS handhelds into schools, McDonald's training sessions originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No, we can't give you a clear reason why this particular chap did this particular thing, but good gravy, look at the pretty photos! We have come across an iPhone-inspired font that looks to have been created by collating and color coding a vast collection of apps in order to properly represent the English alphabet. There is not much info given beyond the app count and the fact it required an architect with "too much free time" on his hands, but we are not going to begrudge a visual attraction when we can get one. You might be able to get the typography for yourself by contacting the author at the source link, or you can skip past the break to see it on video -- if you're careful enough you should be able to spot the world's greatest mobile app making a guest appearance.

Continue reading iPhone font created out of 540 apps and a love for the arcane (video)

iPhone font created out of 540 apps and a love for the arcane (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey there, friends! You know what time it is? It’s “Good news, bad news..” time!

The Good News: An anonymous tipster just spotted this little gem on Verizon’s own website, listing the “HTC Desire” as one of the items that comes in the Droid Eris box.

The Bad News: As much as we’d love to think this is some rogue employee’s covert way of leaking details or some sort of crazy Freudian slip (Freudian typo?), neither of those are probably the case. You see, the “Desire” name has served as an internal codename for other HTC Android handsets in the past, including, unfortunately, the Droid Eris. As it currently stands, we can only assume that this is a lingering placeholder that’s somehow gone unnoticed for months.

Oh well, we can always hope. And if that fails? Well, there’s always the Incredible!

Last we heard from Isabella Products, the company's always-on Vizit photo frame was a 10.4-inch touchscreen LCD with a built-in cell modem to receive emailed pics and MMS, a built-in price of $280 (plus subscription fees), and an "early 2010" release date. Well, early 2010 is here, and so is the Vizit -- sales commence on March 23rd. In honor of the occasion, the company has even spilled a few final details; according to Bostinnovation, Vizit's service plan will use AT&T's 3G network, share photos from both Flickr and Photobucket, and cost $6 per month or $72 for a full year. Sorry, Grandma, but at that price, you'll have to make do with WiFi.

Vizit cellular photo frame arrives March 23rd, your mom can't afford one originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apparently this has been happening for a long, long time.

If the full-color e-reader functionality didn’t already tip Apple’s hand regarding educational applications of the iPad, then this bulk pricing for schools surely does. You can get 10 for $4790, which is a savings of… wait, only $200? Come on!

Now of course I think this is great, and I’m sure schools and teachers would be able to think of a ton of great uses for a full-color, wi-fi connected tablet computer. But here in Seattle our schools can barely afford transparencies for the overhead projectors we’ve been using since the 70s. Could a school like my own Garfield High (go Bulldogs) justify the purchase of even a few iPads? not likely, and I wonder if even the private schools around here have that kind of cash to throw around.

So while it’d be nice to have iPads in the classroom, I’m guessing we’re going to see e-ink devices and cheap Android tablets like the Marvell Moby. As private citizens, we are free to spend $500 on an iPad, but as a value proposition for a school spending public money, it’s a little harder to justify buying items that cost four or five times as much.

And if you’re thinking of using the 10-pack to bypass the 2-per-customer limit… good luck. You need an authorized education purchaser login.

[Mac Rumors via Gizmodo]

We heard earlier this month that half a hundred ARM-based tablets would be launching this year, and it's pretty safe to say that these will be two of 'em. Shown off recently in Mumbai, India's own EAFT spurred interest with its Magic Tile, a presumably Billy Mays-endorsed Tegra 2-based tablet that runs on Android. We're told that it's equipped with a 7-inch touch panel (1,024 x 600 resolution), a front-mounted 1.3 megapixel webcam for video chats, 1080p video encoding / decoding abilities, optional 3G, a battery good for 8 hours of usage, inbuilt accelerometer, Bluetooth, HDMI output and a USB socket to round things out. All told, it's a pretty well-specced machine, though we're certainly hoping that the design gets a little TLC before it's launched in Q3 for an undisclosed rate. In related news, a Compal tablet was also on display, boasting a similar 7-inch layout, a Tegra 2 chip within, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 3 megapixel camera and a complete lack of WiFi (gasp!). Head on past the break for a hands-on vid.

[Thanks, Sriram]

Continue reading EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow

EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone's iteration of Google Maps has been shown up time and time again by Google Maps Navigation on Android, but a quirk this big just has to be linked to some Skyhook database issue. According to a new report coming from the LA area, select iPhone users in Southbay cities near Los Angeles are seeing their GPS software linked to Boulder, Colorado, and the issue has been going on for around a week now. What's curious is that the erroneous positioning affects other third-party iPhone GPS apps as well, and an ABC report notes that a "spokesperson at AT&T said the problem is with Apple." Pass the blame much, AT&T? So, have any of you LA-based iPhoners found yourself navigating to Folsom Stadium when trying to find your way to Rodeo Drive?

[Thanks, Charles]

Select LA-area iPhones insist they're in Boulder, Colorado originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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