December 23, 2008

Engadget Mobile

Engadget Mobile

Snapture Flash adds crappy flash to crappy iPhone camera

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 09:36 PM CST

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The iPhone's camera may be thoroughly eclipsed by several of its competitors, but the insane popularity of Apple's baby means that we've seen tons of accessories aimed at making that 2.1 megapixel sensor somewhat more useful -- like the Snapture Flash here, which tucks a xenon flash with red-eye reduction into a sleeve-type case. Although it's powered by the phone, it's apparently quite low-power -- SnaptureLabs estimates that you'll take 1000 shots before going dry -- and there's some sort of "speaker amplification" built in as well, just in case you're super into enhancing mediocre parts of the iPhone experience. Bad news? You'll have to jailbreak your phone to get the Snapture app working -- hopefully that'll be remedied by the time this thing ships. Check out some sample shots at the read link.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Snapture Flash adds crappy flash to crappy iPhone camera originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SlingPlayer Mobile for WinMo adds new resolutions, devices

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 08:00 PM CST

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While the BlackBerry camp sits and waits patiently for its public beta to begin in a few days, Sling has been hard at working bringing its SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile up to snuff for the latest round of devices finding their way into pockets as of late. Notably, the app supports several new resolutions -- 800x480, 640x480, 400x240, and 320x320 -- and a whole host of new phones, including the AT&T Fuze, Sprint / Verizon Touch Pro, and the Samsung Epix, among eleven others. The update is available immediately; should be interesting to see how this looks on an X1 clipping along at WVGA, eh?

SlingPlayer Mobile for WinMo adds new resolutions, devices originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 002 - 12.23.2008

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 07:00 PM CST

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The holidays are upon us, and we hope you all have visions of Storms dancing in your heads. In this week's podcast we look ahead to CES and talk about a couple juicy rumors that have been plaguing the interwebs in the past week. Have a listen, won't you?

Note: We're really sorry, but we're still struggling with getting our podcast feeds working correctly, which means you'll also have trouble with iTunes and the Zune Marketplace. We promise we're working overtime to get those going, though, so hang tight!

17:11 - Motorola i9
18:51 - LG Secret for AT&T
33:50 - iPhone nano
46:54 - T-Mobile G2
47:56 - Android Cupcake

Hosts: Chris Ziegler and Sean Cooper
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 002 - 12.23.2008 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Sony Ericsson rumored to be moving away from HTC for WinMo phones

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 05:40 PM CST

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We tend to think Sony Ericsson and partner HTC pretty much nailed the X1 -- at least to the extent a WinMo 6.1 phone can be "nailed" -- but for whatever reason, it looks like the company might be looking elsewhere to continue development of its Microsoft-based lineup. DigiTimes (which, granted, doesn't have a spotless record when it comes to this sort of stuff) is quoting a Chinese paper in saying that SE is cheating on HTC with Mobinnova to produce its second XPERIA model, and what's more, they're suggesting that Sony Ericsson's entire business partnership with HTC will draw to a close when the final X1 rolls off the assembly line. We're seriously unsure why they'd go their separate ways after creating one of the most beautiful phones of the year, but hey, business is business.

[Via the::unwired]

Sony Ericsson rumored to be moving away from HTC for WinMo phones originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T and Verizon finalize Rural Cellular / Dobson asset swap

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 03:55 PM CST

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Way back in autumn of last year, AT&T agreed to give up seven markets in its Dobson Communications buy in order to get the all-important FCC stamp of approval; just a few months ago, Verizon Wireless was forced to sell licenses in six markets in order to improve competition in the Rural Cellular markets that it was acquiring. Now, that whole nightmare of red tape has been all wrapped up, as suits and cube dwellers no doubt frantically tried to tie up loose ends before the New Year that should've been knotted weeks ago. Essentially, the deal means that AT&T Mobility has acquired some former Rural Cellular properties previously acquired by Verizon Wireless, while VZW has acquired from AT&T Mobility some former Dobson Communications properties. All the nitty-gritty details are in the read link below should you care to venture down.

[Via phonescoop]

AT&T and Verizon finalize Rural Cellular / Dobson asset swap originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's N96 Comes With Music edition up for pre-order

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 02:13 PM CST

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First came the 5310 XpressMusic, then came word of a CWM-equipped N95. Now, we're feasting our eyes on a Comes With Music N96, freshly for sale on Nokia's UK website. The device seems unchanged outside of its newfound support for Nokia's all-you-can-devour music service, and the 16GB of internal memory should keep the sine waves flowin' for a good while. £540 ($799) gets you the handset, a stereo headset (wired), a few chargers and one year of free access to upwards of two million songs which are yours to keep forever after downloading. Expect shipments to begin in January 2009.

[Via UnwiredView]

Nokia's N96 Comes With Music edition up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XRoad G-Map app brings bona fide navigation to the iPhone

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 12:39 PM CST

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At long last, iPhone users who have grown increasingly frustrated by using Google Maps as their primary navigational tool can find relief... sort of. Available right now in the App Store, XRoad's G-Map application requires no internet connection whatsoever in order to function; rather, it packs oodles of maps into a 932MB package that covers most of western America and a few sporadic locales on the east. We're a bit baffled (and angered) by the not-at-all-comprehensive coverage, but we suppose we can expect updates to patch the gaps in the near future. It provides most of the same amenities you're used to seeing on real-deal GPS units, including POI editing, memo capabilities, location searching, etc. A word of caution, though: early reviews don't seem too stoked about it, so you may want to gloss it over good before hitting your card for $19.99.

[Thanks, Karel]

Gallery: XRoad G-Map app brings bona fide navigation to the iPhone

XRoad G-Map app brings bona fide navigation to the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star of new movie is the cellphone equivalent of a psychotic K.I.T.T.

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 11:37 AM CST

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No, we're not talking about Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition or iPhone firmware 2.0, we're talking moderately more diabolical stuff here: explosions, international intrigue, fancy casinos where everyone wears suits and plays baccarat, the whole nine yards. Echelon Conspiracy is a movie about... well, who cares, really? Point is, there's an all-knowing phone that tells you what to do and brings you both great fortune and great tragedy, making for a modern King Midas tale that has Critic's Choice Award nomination written all over it. The flick probably would've made more sense back when phones actually looked evil, but yeah, sure, we'll add it to our Netflix queue in a few years -- somewhere between Death Race and The Transporter 3. Catch the spellbinding trailer after the break.

[Thanks, A. Razaq]

Continue reading Star of new movie is the cellphone equivalent of a psychotic K.I.T.T.

Star of new movie is the cellphone equivalent of a psychotic K.I.T.T. originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung gets slapped in China over dual-mode patent

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 11:02 AM CST

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The majority of the globe doesn't have to worry its pretty little head over this technology, but in China, dual-mode handsets that operate with equal aplomb on CDMA and GSM networks are a way of life. Since we're talking about a billion people here, foreign manufacturers are naturally going to want to get into that action -- but they're going to have to get past patent holder Holleycomm first, especially since they've just been awarded the equivalent of $7.3 million by a Hangzhou court for Samsung's apparent indiscretions on the matter. What's more, Holleycomm says it's not satisfied with the win and intends to milk Sammy for more, and when it's done, it intends to go after other violators. It's funny to hear tales of patent lawsuits in the land that harbors more Keepin' It Real Fake devices than any other -- funny, that is, until you're the one staring down the barrel of that $7.3 million fine.

Samsung gets slapped in China over dual-mode patent originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC expects to move over one million G1 handsets in 2008, party hard in 2009

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 09:27 AM CST

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Given just how awesome HTC's most previous quarterly results were, we don't blame it for being a tad optimistic about overall G1 sales. CEO Peter Chou was quoted as saying that the G1 should sell just over a million units this year, with the second Android-powered handset coming in Q1 2009 at the "earliest." Interestingly, the report also stated that HTC was hard at work on its third Google-infused mobile, which isn't at all mind-blowing considering that we're talking about a phone company that has to make new phones in order to stay afloat.

[Via mocoNews]

HTC expects to move over one million G1 handsets in 2008, party hard in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iControlPad gamepad heads to production, warms hearts

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 08:07 AM CST

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iControlPad gamepad heads to production, warms hearts
Apple's claims that the iPhone is a console might carry a bit more weight if the thing had, you know, some physical inputs. Touchscreens and tilt sensors are great, but without at least a couple of buttons and a D-pad it's kind of a hard sell to your average gamer. Inputs are exactly what the iControlPad case for the iPhone adds, and we've got confirmation that the thing is at long last heading to production. The pic above is the final prototype, set to be colored black upon release -- and we presume those gaping holes will be filled with something other than air, too. No word on an anticipated ship date or price, but -- great as it may be -- without Apple support we don't expect it'll to do much to help the iPhone's gaming cred anyhow.

iControlPad gamepad heads to production, warms hearts originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's Handwriting Calculator makes math cool again

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 03:51 AM CST

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Be honest with yourself -- you loathe math. We mean, you're totally kosher with counting ohms and watts when dealing in DIY projects, but you'll gladly pay a certified accountant to handle your taxes. Chances are, though, that Nokia's new Handwriting Calculator will have you doing calculations you never thought you'd do once you nailed that Calculus IV book shut with a completely respectable B-. It's designed to operate on Nokia's "latest touchscreen devices (read: S60 5th Edition), such as the N800 and the 5800 XpressMusic," and it's being delivered free of charge from the always inventive Beta Labs operation. The greatest part about this is its ability to understand unorthodox symbols such as square roots and the like; too bad most professors outlaw cellphones during testing periods, huh? Video demonstration is after the break.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Continue reading Nokia's Handwriting Calculator makes math cool again

Nokia's Handwriting Calculator makes math cool again originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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