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You know what happens when you give EVO 4Gs to a room full of some of the brightest developers the world has to offer? Well, [expletive] is going to go down, that's what -- so it comes as little surprise that the phone's already been blessed with a seemingly functional Froyo port, even though neither the phone nor the operation system have even seen a public release yet. The largest distribution of the EVO so far has come at the hands of Google itself, which provided the Android 2.1- and Sense-equipped handsets to attendees of its recent IO conference; a timely upgrade to Android 2.2 has unquestionably been a big sticking point for would-be buyers, though, so it's good to see that early owners are already hard at work making this happen. Root is naturally required for the 2.2 port to work -- and there will undoubtedly be some hurdles to overcome to make this totally usable -- but we have full faith in these lovely wunderkinds. Follow the break for video evidence of a Froyo'd EVO in the wild.

Nokia N8's USB On-The-Go support demoed, lesser phones turned into slaves

1:11 PM

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Among the Nokia N8's neater tricks is its support for USB On-The-Go, which basically lets you connect USB peripherals (flash drives, for example) to the phone and have it act as a host -- a duty usually reserved for heavier-duty devices like PCs. Though the N8 is still a solid month or three away from release, we're getting a nice little video demo on YouTube today of an N8 being walked through the paces of connecting both a plain-vanilla USB drive and another Symbian-based Nokia candybar (brownie points for naming the model in comments, by the way). Basically, you can treat the connected hardware as mass storage and browse it just as you would the N8's internal space, which basically means you've got unlimited music capacity as long as you've got a pocket full of USB sticks and a micro USB-to-USB adapter cord. Follow the break for video.

Nokia will kick off MeeGo effort with ARM-based silicon, not x86

12:08 PM

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We've heard a similar message from Nokia dating all the way back to MeeGo's introduction at MWC back in February, so it comes as little surprise that Espoo is apparently trumpeting the virtues of ARM for its first MeeGo-powered device that's still targeted for the tail end of 2010. What might make this particularly interesting is the fact that MeeGo 1.0 is clearly further along for Atom devices than it is for the Cortex A8-based N900, not to mention that Nokia has already warmed up to Intel thanks to its Booklet 3G -- but regardless of the silicon, getting the platform solid enough for any sort of retail device by the end of 2010 still seems like a tricky proposition when you figure that the ARM build doesn't even have a proper user interface yet. Ultimately, it might come down to a question of size; Intel still hasn't proven that it can scale Atom down far enough to tackle the smartphone market head-on, so if Nokia wants to go small with its first MeeGo hardware, that alone could be impetus enough to go ARM.

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ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC and EP121 preview

12:03 PM

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At long last, the ASUS Eee Pads have arrived, but unfortunately they're just not working the way we've been imagining for all these months. We got a few minutes to toy around with the 10-inch EP101TC and 12-inch EP121, but both were barely working. And "barely" is being gracious. We can tell you that both models are incredibly well built -- they've got aluminum edges and matte back covers -- and neither was particularly heavy. The EP121 wasn't booting at all, but it was being shown off with a super sleek keyboard docking station, which will be used to turn the tablet into an ultraportable laptop of sorts. An NVIDIA Tegra-powered EP101TC was powering on, but its Windows Embedded Compact 7-based interface was still noticeably buggy, and the touchscreen quite unresponsive. The UI certainly looked attractive enough, and our swipe motions across the capacitive touchscreen were handled admirably, but ASUS definitely has a ways to go in terms of functionality. We wish we had more impressions to share, but it looks as if we'll have to wait for a less half-baked iteration to really dive in. 'Til then, feel free to peruse the gallery below and peek the video just beyond the break.

ASUS Eee Tablet preview

12:00 PM

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Alright, stick with us here. For some reason, ASUS decided it best to name its freshest e-reader the Eee Tablet, while its downright magical tablet goes by Eee Pad. Got all that? Good. The Eee Tablet (again, not to be confused with the Eee Pad tablet) is half e-reader, half note taker, and it's an interesting twist on a played product category. We took a few precious minutes to experiment with the device here on the Computex show floor, and overall, we like what we're seeing. Gone is the painfully slow E-Ink page refresh that Kindle owners are so accustomed to, with this particular LCD proving deliciously quick at changing screens. The only hang-up comes when you attempt to flip through too many pages, too fast -- we managed to harness a loading wheel on two occasions, both of which took around six or eight seconds to vanish and the next page to finally appear. We also confirmed that the screen only works with the included stylus, much like pen-enabled Wacom tablets. That said, the bundled stylus was perfectly weighted, and the Eee Tablet responded well to our doodling. Speaking of weight, the model shown here in Taipei was shockingly heavy (at least iPad-level heavy), while the 10-inch EP101TC was markedly less hefty. Enough chatter -- have a look at our hands-on video just past the break.

Apple sells two million iPads, international launch likely the main culprit

11:57 AM

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Apple has just trotted out its latest sales milestone for the iPad: two million devices have now been sold since the slate's launch on April 3. We promise we won't bother you with sales figures every time another million gets rounded, but it's notable that the company has managed to maintain the rapid pace it achieved with its hero tablet during its first month on the market. Of course, that big international launch just a couple of days ago would surely have had something to do with it as well. Ah well, good for them.

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Sharp Netwalker PC-T1 unboxed, now available

11:52 AM

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There can be only one. Wait, wrong franchise -- this here is a Netwalker showdown. In the left corner, we have the Sharp Netwalker PC-Z1, a 5-inch Ubuntu smartbook powered by the 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU, and at right, we have the Sharp Netwalker PC-T1, a 5-inch Ubuntu tablet with the exact same specs. Is the pen mightier than the keyboard? We won't find out today -- but Pocketables invite you to check out a bevy of fresh-squeezed T1 unboxing pics and comparison shots while they work on a review. See an EVO 4G make this tablet squirm at our source link, or check out our more coverage section if the juxtaposition of the words "Ubuntu" and "tablet" had you scrambling for your pocketbook three sentences ago.

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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Modder vies for World's Smallest N64 title with TrySixtyFource, looks to be a winner

4:00 PM

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In the modder scene, smaller is definitely better. We've seen a huge line of portable N64s over the years, each successive one claiming to be slinkier than its predecessors, but from what we can see the TrySixtyFource has 'em beat. It isn't as aesthetically appealing as the Nimbus 64 nor the Kamikaze 64, and the tiny switch buttons on the rear for the Z/L and R buttons don't look particularly finger-friendly. But, it's hard to argue that ShockSlayer's creation is a good bit smaller than the rest (despite its girth). It's also for sale, if you have the requisite amount of coin, and while the video after the break proves that it works, the lengthy intro will also confuse and befuddle you. We'd recommend skipping ahead to the 3:40 mark.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Alienware M11x getting Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 upgrade next month, says Dell rep

1:15 PM

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Meet Pearce Clune, Dell's Head of Consumer Operations for Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. Clune's gone ahead and a pretty brief demonstration of Alienware's laptop lineup to Shuffle Magazine, include the mighty impressive M11x powerhouse in netbook clothing. It's all pretty standard fare until about 2:20 into the video, where the fine gentleman casually drops that the Core 2 Duo processor is about to get a modern upgrade with Core i3, i5, and i7 options. That's right, a Core i7 processor in a 11-inch form factor. We'll let that sink in for a second. But don't just take our word for it -- video after the break. Now, is Optimus en route, too?

Flash 10.1 on Froyo goes tete-a-tete with Flash Lite 4 on Eclair: butter vs. stutter (video)

1:10 PM

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Believe it or not, your newly-upgraded Nexus One isn't the first Android smartphone to have Adobe Flash video capability, nor even the first to play said content on a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU -- Europe's been rocking the HTC Desire since April, which sports a little something called Flash Lite even on the older Android 2.1 OS. Will frozen yogurt outperform puff pastry on its home turf? Find out in a blind taste test video showdown after the break.

Please note that results are not necessarily representative of Adobe's newfound video processing prowess alone -- we hear Android 2.2 makes things speedier across the board.

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Mercedes-Benz Hexawheel concept is the 4x4 you never knew you needed

1:09 PM

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It ain't the first Mercedes-Benz concept to dazzle us, and we get the feeling it's far from being the last. Dreamed up by designer Siyamak Rouhi Dehkordi, the Hexawheel is doing its darnedest to bring the gas guzzler back, and while we'd never turn down a solid deal on our own G-Wagon, there's something mighty novel about this ride. Boasting an iconic M-B design, this here creature deviates drastically from the typical road warrior, utilizing six wheels on an articulated chassis with a flexible drivetrain. All told, it'd measure some 16 feet if ushered into production, and it's quite possibly the best beach vehicle next to the dune buggy. There's no word on what kind of powerplant this thing would support, but we're guessing something involving fuel cells would be appropriate.

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Pandora handheld now shipping: first mass-produced unit unboxed, world somehow survives

1:06 PM

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The open-source Pandora handheld has had a long and arduous time to market, but the days of delay are apparently at an end. You gaze upon the very first Pandora off the assembly line -- the fruit of over two years labor -- and project leaders are presently shipping out the rest of the first completed batch, with scores if not hundreds already on the way. GP32X forum mod X68000 got this unit for his help in construction, which means you can see Pandora's box literally opened at our source link (har har). Puns not your thing? Spot a batch of handhelds at the soldering station instead, right after the break.

White next-gen iPhone apparently materializes in full form

1:03 PM

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Clearly a white front plate was not enough to satisfy curiosity. Though we aren't able to verify this ourselves, Chinese site Apple.pro has a couple shots of what it claims to be the white next-gen iPhone, almost fully assembled (the front plate looks like it hasn't been snapped in all the way) and casually lounging next to the black model we've gazed upon so many times at this point. Is this enough for us to trust and comfortably change our palette preferences? Nah, but surely 15 days until expected confirmation can't be too excruciating of a wait.

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

HP Taiwan reportedly reaffirms pre-October launch for webOS tablet

2:53 PM

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Don't mind us taking a few grains of salt on this one, but according Digitimes, HP Taiwan Vice President Monty Wong has confirmed a webOS-powered tablet is due out in the market before the fiscal year ending in October. This jibes with what we heard earlier this month, including the common sense caveat that more details will be forthcoming only after the Palm acquisition is completed near the end of July. Now, we won't be surprised one iota if this comes to fruition -- HP itself has gone on record numerous times as wanting to throw the onetime mobile-exclusive OS on everything from tablets (yay) to printers (huh). Still, everything we know about it so far comes via words and whispers to third-party sources, or the voice in our head dreaming up ideal product lines -- neither of which, unfortunately, we can put our complete trust in.

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HP Compaq Airlife 100 review roundup: a little too dumb for a smartbook

11:24 AM

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As of last month, there were still no solid plans to ever bring HP Compaq's Airlife 100 smartbook to US soil, and judging by the first reviews surfacing across the pond, the company should probably consider keeping it that way. In a land already saturated with increasingly powerful netbooks, highly capable smartphones and a blossoming selection of tablets, the actual need for a so-called smartbook is questionable at best. For those still interested in paying near-netbook prices for this (on contract with a carrier, no less), you should probably first take a gander at the reviews linked below. Put simply, the Airlife 100 just wasn't a contender, and it had issues handling basic tasks like playing back HD videos and loading the full Gmail experience. 'Course, Android 1.6 is looking severely dated right about now, so we can't say we're shocked to hear so much negativity. The design itself was universally praised, but when you can snag a Crystal HD-equipped netbook (sans a data plan agreement, to boot) for just a few Euros more, it's hard to justify locking yourself into something far less intelligent.

MSI rolls out Wind U160DX netbook with 15-hour battery

11:20 AM

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It may just seem like yesterday that MSI was introducing its Wind U160 netbook at CES, but the company's now already back with an updated model in time for Computex: the Wind U160DX. While it's outward appearance remains mostly the same, the netbook's internals have been upgraded across the board, including a new Atom N455 processor, some DDR3 memory, MSI's own "Turbo Drive Engine" and, last but not least, a 15-hour battery (aided in part by MSI's ECO power management system). Still no word on pricing or availability for this one, but we should be hearing more about it soon enough at Computex, and you can get a closer look at it right now courtesy of Engadget Spanish at the link below.

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Toshiba ships Core i7-equipped Satellite P505 gaming laptop, all 18.4-inches of it

11:17 AM

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Looking for the most gargantuan laptop money can buy? How's about the biggest laptop that the least amount of money can buy? Toshiba's Satellite P505 -- a machine we spotted briefly at CES this year -- has now been put on sale over at Microsoft's own webstore, complete with an 18.4-inch LCD (1,680 x 945), a 1.6GHz Core i7-720QM processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, 500GB SATA hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium, a DVD SuperMulti drive, ExpressCard slot, integrated memory card reader, NVIDIA's GeForce 310M (512MB), four USB 2.0 sockets and a beastly 12-cell Li-ion battery. Best of all, you can pop in a coupon (see the links below for details) in order to score this behemoth for $689, or just $687.95 more than freedom. Hop on past the break if you need an explanation.

Update: Seems that code down there has expired -- anyone got an alternate?

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Android 2.2's Froyo goodness hitting the Nexus One already? (update: confirmed!)

11:14 AM

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Sometimes it's good to be the chosen child, the special one, and in the eyes of Google the Nexus One is that special phone -- at least for the moment. As such it seems to have been given a special treat: access to Froyo, earlier than expected. TechCrunch's MG Siegler is reporting that his handset received Android 2.2 overnight. So far we're not hearing too many other reports of folks seeing this update, but that could be thanks to everyone sleeping off a week of exciting announcements. Sound off in comments if you're waking up to this frosty, low-calorie snack.

Update: We're not sure how this is being rolled out, as hardly anyone is seeing updates, but via Droidnytt we found a number of reports on Twitter that people are indeed seeing the update.

Update 2: Count us among the lucky few who just received the OTA Froyo update, to our original T-Mobile-based device.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

BlackBerry Bold 9800 slides open, shows off promising WebKit-based browser

8:37 PM

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We've known RIM has had a WebKit-based browser in its rear pocket since Mobile World Congress, and with confirmation that BlackBerry OS 6.0 would have traces of WebKit throughout, this discovery was simply inevitable. The BlackBerry Bold 9800 (polarizing design and all) has just made its most interesting appearance yet, this time showing off a purported WebKit-based web browser with a trio of tabs collected up top. Never mind the fact that whoever was using this clearly wishes he / she was browsing on an iPhone -- it's the 100/100 Acid3 test result that really titillates. 'Course, that could very well be a JPEG loaded up to fool us all, but we aren't losing the faith just yet. Head on down to the source for a few more teases.

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Nokia N8 launching August 24, we hear; Amazon Germany taking €470 pre-orders

8:34 PM

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We know, we know, you were banking on taking an N8 with you when you go summering in Cape Cod in July, but that might be a tall order because we're hearing from a trusted source that August 24 has been pegged as the big release date for Nokia's Symbian^3-powered beast. Pricing had already been announced at €370 ($465), but if you're interested in shedding an extra hundred for no apparent reason, Amazon Germany is now officially taking pre-orders for €469.50 ($590) in black -- just one of the five N8 shades Espoo will be pushing around the world. We think we'd recommend holding off on signing up for Amazon's enticing deal here, quite honestly -- especially considering the magnetic attraction we've got to that totally unapologetic orange version.

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Shipping HTC EVO 4G ROM released into the wild

8:33 PM

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Can't wait to get your hands on an EVO 4G? Then it looks like you can now at least settle for the next best thing that's not actually anything like the real thing: the final, shipping version of the EVO 4G ROM. That's just been released into the wild courtesy of Conflipper, and is ready to be downloaded for use however you like -- and at your own risk, of course. Hit up the source link below for the download link, and let us know in comments if you manage to work any magic with it.

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Android MID shocker! Eken M003 gets 8-inch display, $230 price tag (video)

12:23 PM

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Are you a fan of off-brand MIDs, the Android OS, and dangerous bezels? You're in luck! It looks like the M003, a slightly larger follow-up to Eken's very own M001 (which caught our attention a month or so ago, mostly on account of its price) has finally reached e-tailers at home and abroad, such as China Grabber who will sell you one for a not too shabby (yet not too awesome either) $230. Keeping the Android 1.6 OS, this bad boy has been bumped up to an 8-inch touchscreen while sporting a 600MHz VIA processor, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 128MB RAM, and an SD card slot for up to 32GB storage. They're even throwing in a 2GB SD card because they're such good sports. Available in pink, white, or black. Hands-on video after the break.

12:20 PM

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Google might be trying to shake up video on the web by releasing the WebM video format and VP8 codec under a royalty-free open-source license, but we've already heard the format's uncomfortably close relationship to H.264 might cause some patent concerns, and the MPEG-LA, which licenses the H.264 patents, doesn't seem to be sitting still. CEO Larry Horn told All Things Digital that MPEG-LA is looking into forming a patent pool in order to license vendors who want stay clear of any patent disputes while using WebM -- the idea would be to avoid any patent liability down the road by simply paying for a license now, especially since Google doesn't seem to be promising anything when it comes to protection from lawsuits. We'd wager all this means WebM will go from royalty-free to patent-encumbered just as soon as MPEG-LA gets its paperwork in order -- the same thing essentially happened to Microsoft when it tried to release the VC-1 format royalty-free -- and that means video on the web might soon be right back where it started. We'll see what happens.

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iPhone 3G's Android port is ready to download

11:08 AM

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Had enough Android excitement yet? Of course not. Following up on the Froyo release yesterday, we've got the no less vital news that the iPhone 3G port of Android is now ready to download and install. Having shown off Google's OS running on a 3G two weeks ago, author David Wang has clearly had to iron out a few kinks before serving up the necessary binaries, but here they are now, replete with a handy install guide he's penned over at PC World. Time to get yourself on the dual-booting bandwagon, no?

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HTC: 'most phones' launched in 2010 will get Android 2.2

10:55 AM

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32diggsdigg 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.

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Nokia's Ovi Maps gets faster, Qype reviews with SR4 (video)

10:49 AM

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When we reviewed Nokia's Ovi Maps and pitted it against the competition from Google we found it was by far the quickest to calculate routes and get you on your way... or back on your way if you meandered off. But, interaction with the app itself was a bit sluggish, something that's said to be fixed in version 3.0.4, also dubbed SR4. This version offers some serious performance improvements for tapping around the interface and also mixes in POI reviews from Qype. Qype is a sort of European version of Yelp with a similarly silly name, and while that doesn't help we Americans much, we always did feel like something of an afterthought to Nokia anyway. The new version of Ovi Maps is out now, so get it while the gettin's good.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

eviGroup's Android Wallet MID now available, chrome is optional (video)

8:39 PM

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The last time we saw eviGroup's Wallet it'd been given an '80s-style two-tone bezel and a January release date. Thankfully, the two-tone look has gone, but that anticipated date didn't exactly pan out either. The MID is officially now shipping, with the base (chrome-free) model going for €199 (about $245). For that you get a five-inch, 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen device running Android 1.5 from 1GB of built in storage, augmented by a microSD slot. Power comes from a 667MHz Samsung ARM processor and the battery is said to last about six hours. For your €199 you'll also get a car mount and a car charger, but given the device has neither GPS nor access to Google Navigation we're not entirely sure the point of all that. Still, it's not a bad price, but those who really like showing off their wealth can get one with a chrome backside for an extra €20. Heart-felt unboxing after the break.

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide coming June 2 for $180

8:36 PM

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So T-Mobile's myTouch 3G Slide -- the QWERTY-enabled version of the venerable myTouch 3G -- has been priced and dated, and we're happy to see that "expected to be available in June" has turned out to mean the very beginning of the month; June 2, to be exact, in your choice of red, white, or black. What makes us less happy, though, is the notion of paying $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate for an Android device that now has the unenviable job of lying in the massive shadow created by the brilliant EVO 4G. Granted, the two phones are for very different carriers, but that doesn't really excuse T-Mobile from offering up a phone with a lower-class processor, 40 percent of the screen resolution, and three megapixels lopped off the camera for just $30 less upfront, does it? Time for some serious price correction across the smartphone landscape, wethinks.

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Google claims Froyo has the world's fastest mobile browser

8:31 PM

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You heard it here first, folks. Google has just come out with the strident claim that the web browser in Android 2.2, aka Froyo, is the world's fastest for mobile devices. Having implemented the V8 JavaScript Engine that's already made an appearance in its desktop Chrome browser, Google's reporting JavaScript performance that's somewhere in the vicinity of two to three times better than what you can get from previous Android versions. We'll give this geek cabal some style points for the double equals sign up top, but will certainly be putting its bold assertion to the test in the very near future.

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Google adding over-the-air app installation and iTunes streaming to Android

8:29 PM

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Sure sure, Froyo is great and all, but Google just blew our minds with two previews of upcoming Android features at I/O: OTA application installation and remote music streaming. OTA installation is just as simple as you'd expect -- after browsing to an app on your desktop, you can push it to your phone and install it with just a single click, all done over the air. Interestingly, Google also showed music being purchased and transferred from Android Marketplace in the same way, which could indicate a deeper push towards music integration, or just be a nice demo. Either way, it's pretty slick stuff -- the fewer wires we have to carry, the better.

The remote music streaming is a little crazier: Google bought a company called Simplify Media, which makes a bit of desktop software that can stream all your music directly from iTunes to your phone. The demo was quite slick -- you just open the app and push "all," and all your music is instantly available. Whether or not this'll work over 3G or be limited to the local network is still up in the air, but we're dying to try it out.

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Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel

8:28 PM

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As expected, Google just announced Google TV at I/O. There's four billion TV viewers worldwide, making it the biggest market in the world, and Google's after it in a big way -- it's a $70 billion ad market in the US alone, after all. According to Google, "video should be consumed on the biggest, best, and brightest screen in your house, and that's the TV." The idea is to merge the web and TV without compromising on either the web experience or the video experience, with a focus on discovery and personalization. Of course, since it's Google, the interface is search-driven, so you can just type in things like "30 Rock" or MSNBC" to find channels and content -- including upcoming content to record and content from the internet. Yeah, it's kind of like the TiVo Premiere's swivel search, but prettier -- and there's a Hulu logo on the screen, which is extremely intriguing.

Google's not sharing hardware specs, but we're told Google TV devices will have WiFi, HDMI, the Intel CE4100 processor, and... some will have an IR blaster to tune your cable or satellite box, which is just sad. (Like, 1997 sad.) The input devices will all have keyboards, and you'll also be able to use Android devices as a remote, including using voice search to find content and sending content from the phone to the TV. The software is based on Android with Chrome as the browser and full Flash 10.1 support. Since it's Android, there's a version of Android Market -- any app that doesn't require phone hardware can run on Google TV. There will also be a Google TV-specific Android SDK launching in "early" 2011, along with the Android Market for Google TV.

As for partners, it's just as we heard: Sony will launch Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV in the fall, and Logitech will introduce a set-top box with a Harmony remote and an HD camera for video chat at some point in the future. Dish Network will also launch a Google TV box at some point, while Best Buy will promote the platform as a whole in-store.

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Sony Internet TV, DISH first with Google TV this fall; Adobe, Logitech and others along for the ride

8:22 PM

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Sony will be first out of the gate with a Google TV powered device, with its "Sony Internet TV" devices -- in the form of either an HDTV or a set-top box with Blu-ray player -- arriving on shelves this fall. The rest of the partners were just as the rumors indicated, with Logitech adding a QWERTY Harmony remote, "companion box" to bridge the gap to existing home theater equipment and eventually video chat capabilities, Intel providing the CE4100 Atom processor at the heart of the devices and an Android 2.1 OS with Chrome browser brings it all together. DISH Network and Google have admitted to their ongoing trials but there's no word on any release date,(Update: We didn't catch it onstage, but DISH just announced it will enable "advanced integration" via HDMI on all of its HD DVR receivers this fall, details after the break) while Best Buy is already on board to sell all of this and inevitably offer to hook up those IR blasters for a fee, while Adobe is just happy to see another device that runs Flash 10.1. The rest of the details are in press release and video form after the break, but you can sign up for updates at Google.com/tv (developers check in here) or check out our ongoing liveblog right from Google I/O.

Update: Vic Gundotra just confirmed in a post-keynote press conference that TV will go international next year.

Supposed next-gen iPhone cases surface in China

8:21 PM

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We're not sure if it's a result of some hard information or simply an educated guess, but it looks like the first next-gen iPhone cases (or would-be cases) are now starting to find their way before a camera. The most convincing of those comes courtesy of Hardmac, which received the image above from one of its contacts in China -- a quick search of the model name also reveals the manufacturer, Shenzhen Soonleader Electronic Co, and a few more pics (check them out after the break). As you can see, it has all the right curves, a larger opening for a flash and, if you look really closely, you can see the necessary spaces for the new side buttons. Like we said, this could well just be a case of a manufacturer looking to get a jump start, or it could be... something more.

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MSI shows off convertible 'SketchBook' laptop concept

8:17 PM

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Well, it looks like MSI isn't waiting for Computex to show off some of its wild, new concept devices -- it's just unveiled this so-called "SketchBook" at an event in Amsterdam. Offering a new twist on the convertible laptop, this one doesn't actually convert into a tablet, but rather features a rotating base that has a keyboard on one side and a full-size graphics tablet on the other -- hence the name. Unfortunately, MSI is staying mum on any other details at the moment -- let alone pricing or availability -- but our counterparts at Engadget Spanish did get a chance to check out an early, non-functioning prototype of the device. Check out a shot of it after the break, and hit up the source link below for the complete

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SIM unlock now available for AT&T Palm Pre Plus

8:15 PM

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The method ain't new -- it's the same jictechnology developers offering the same code over at NextGenServer -- but it will yield different results when used on the latest and greatest webOS device. Yep, that Palm Pre unlock that enabled international GSM Pre units to work on AT&T, Telus and T-Mobile is now officially certified for use on AT&T's own Palm Pre Plus. That means your shiny new smartphone can now hop onto T-Mobile and Telus networks with a functioning SIM card from either carrier, but unlike other unlocks, this one will cost you $35.79. Or, you know, you could pick up Verizon's Pre Plus, nab a free mobile hotspot along the way, and pocket an old Nokia candybar for those overseas jaunts -- your call, broseph.

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Analyst: Apple selling more iPads than Macs, at the moment

8:13 PM

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So there's no question that Apple is selling a ton of iPads, but would you have guessed that it's actually selling more iPads than all Mac sales combined? That's the case, at least at the moment, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky, who says that Apple is currently moving about 200,000 iPads per week, compared to 110,000 Macs -- though it still trails the iPhone, which is apparently racking up sales of 246,000 per week. Of course, we are just talking about analyst estimates here, and things could potentially swing back into the Mac's favor once the quarterly totals are added up. If true, however, it'd sure be a whopper of a milestone -- one that we'd no doubt be hearing plenty more about in, say, three weeks time.

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Logitech's Google TV companion box includes smartphone apps, we go eyes-on (updated: video!)

8:07 PM

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Dashing away from the Google I/O keynote as fast as our feet would carry us, we scored the very first look at Logitech's Google TV companion box. While we'll share full details when we catch a breath, here's the scoop: the box extends the full functionality of a Logitech Harmony remote and a WiFi access point to your TV, providing not only Google TV but also allowing you to control your entire entertainment system (including DVR) with a still-in-development keyboard / touchpad remote or an iPhone or Android smartphone app over WiFi. Hit the gallery below for a taste of what the little set-top box can do, and rest assured we've got more info on the way.

Logitech's Google TV Companion Box hands-on

When we got to Logitech's demo space, we expected to see a keyboard and mouse. To our surprise, the Logitech product manager pulled out a Nexus One and iPhone. He explained that the companion box has all the technology of Logitech's $400 Harmony 900 remote and extends it to your handset over WiFi. Several scrollable pages of dedicated buttons let that particular iPhone control not only the Google browser but also a Samsung TV, Onkyo receiver and TiVo set top box, and the product manager showed us that there were three additional control schemes (including a touchscreen D-pad, gesture swipe pane and virtual keyboard) that could be activated simply by shaking the phone. Should you not have a more modern smartphone, it won't be your only option by far -- the box will have an optional RF keyboard / touchpad available at launch, and a pair of USB ports in back allow users to connect dongles for 2.4GHz peripherals. In addition to standard Google TV functions, Logitech said the box would come with a 1080p video chat solution called Vid.

The unit itself is based on Intel's CE4100 "Sodaville" Atom processor, with this particular chip operating at 1.2GHz, and the board features 4GB of memory and 802.11n WiFi. In addition to the aforementioned twin USB sockets, the rear I/O panel features wired LAN jack and two IR headers for additional connectivity, and has a pair of HDMI 1.3 ports that handle all visual content, with Dolby 5.1 surround transferred via either HDMI or S/PDIF out. If your home entertainment setup is entirely wired with HDMI, you'll find the unit allows full digital passthrough; if your sources use any other kind of jack (component, composite, etcetera) you may need a receiver of some sort; reps available couldn't tell us if the box required HDCP to stream content.

HP Envy 15 said to be suffering from blank screen issues, lousy webcam

8:03 PM

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We can't say we experienced the problem during our time reviewing the HP Envy 15 (though we certainly had some other issues with it), but a sizable number of users have been reporting a persistent problem with the laptop's display randomly going blank. That's apparently so far gone unremedied by any number of driver updates, with the only "fix" being a forced reboot of the computer. Also problematic is an issue some folks are reporting with the laptop's webcam, which apparently has an odd tendency to only work properly under fluorescent lighting -- move under an incandescent light and everything takes on a distinct purple hue. Head on past the break for a vivid example of that problem, and hit up the source link below for all nineteen pages of complaints about the blank screen issue.

BeamBox Evolution R-2 -- one of the brightest little guys around

8:00 PM

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BeamBox has just outed its Revolution R-2 pico projector, and while nothing much that could be termed revolutionary has happened in the world of tiny projectors as of late, the R-2 certainly has one thing going for it: it's super bright. That's right, the Revolution R-2 boasts a 40 lumen LCoS chip, which means it should stand out where most picos are much less -- and often around 20 lumens. Other than that it will produce a 75-inch projection with a 200:1 contrast ratio, it's got 1GB of storage plus a microSD slot, A/V inputs and a Mini USB port, plus an integrated media player. The Revolution R-2 is available now for £250 (around $360).

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Google unveils Chrome web store, Sports Illustrated app impresses

9:01 PM

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Interested to know how you were gonna fill up that Chrome OS app page? Google just announced its new online web app store at I/O. So far they've shown off Dark Room for image editing, a pretty slick version of TweetDeck, and yes, like every other platform known to man, there's Plants. vs. Zombies and Lego Star Wars. Paid-for software will be offered -- Dark Room is $4.99, if you want to go ahead and put that money aside. No word on a launch date, but we'll keep pushing for more. We were just shown a demo of Sports Illustrated's interactive magazine, and we gotta say, it's mighty impressive -- embedded video, fully searchable, and some pretty clever tricks with geolocation that frankly exceed most anything we've seen on the iPad thus far. The web store -- for Chrome and Chrome OS -- will hit the dev channel "soon."

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Nokia E73 'Mode' coming to T-Mobile next month?

8:58 PM

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This is totally out of the blue, but we were just hit up with a screen shot suggesting that T-Mobile USA will be launching a portrait QWERTY handset from Nokia on June 16 known as the E73 'Mode.' As is evidenced with the Nuron, T-Mobile has a tendency to assign trademarkable names to Nokias in its lineup that are known elsewhere in the world by their model number only, so we imagine that this phone will end up launching globally simply as the E73 as it takes over the E72's throne as Espoo's top productivity beast. More on this as we get it, but in the meantime, check out a bigger shot of the phone after the break.

White front plate looks all set and ready for next-gen iPhone, or not

8:55 PM

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As our extensive KIRF library shows, China's one wild country that can make almost anything you don't want, so don't mind us while we inspect this new finding with extra caution. This particular Chinese online seller not only claims to have parts for the next-gen iPhone, but also one white face plate -- something not seen on iPhones thus far. While we drool over the thought of an all white Apple handheld, there are still questions to be answered here: the seller wasn't able to explain what that silver bit above the speaker is, nor have we seen white back plates to match this. Furthermore, we were given a "maybe" for a bulk order of 15 to 20 units, which is quite a lot for something that's not even out yet, but we were told over the phone that there's always a back door to Foxconn as long as you wave cash at someone. Not that you should engage in such risky business, plus this piece's authenticity will be revealed in about three weeks' time, anyway.

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Global Positioning Shocker: Magellan rolls out ten new RoadMates for Spring

8:53 PM

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Looks like Magellan isn't messing around with its new Spring lineup of RoadMate navigation units -- and by not messing around, we mean not changing things very much. Totaling ten units in all, the company's new lineup features models with 4.3-inch, 4.7-inch and 5-inch touchscreens, and seemingly similar specs across the board otherwise, with the biggest difference being the inclusion of lifetime maps, lifetime traffic, and Bluetooth on some models. Look for the whole lot to start trickling out to retail over the coming days and weeks, with about half of them already available on Amazon and directly from Magellan for between $169.99 and $299.99.

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Foxconn's Tegra 2-powered Android tablet hands-on (video)

8:47 PM

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Well we just got to lay hands on the above Foxconn-manufactured, Tegra 2-powered Android prototype, and we'll be honest -- it was awfully sweet. There wasn't much going on beyond some gaming action -- we didn't see it boot into standard Android -- though it was running the 3D football title you see above at a pretty healthy clip (check out the video after the break). NVIDIA reps weren't very keen on sharing info about the device, though we can tell you that it's apparently got 1GB of RAM inside cuddled up to that 1GHz ARM Cortex 9 CPU, a front-facing camera, and the WSVGA screen measures 8.9-inches (though it's a totally different aspect ratio than something like the iPad). We're going to hold any judgment till we see this thing cooking with a full UI, but we're not knocking it -- get this in at the right price, and we'll likely be first in line.

Update: Correction, the screen size is 8.9-inches, not 9.7.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

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

8:38 PM

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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.
Wi-Fi Sync Hands-On Demo

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?

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Nexus One runs Windows 3.11, possibly the saddest thing we've seen all day (video)

8:34 PM

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In a volatile Android ecosystem where bigger and better phones pop up every week, your Nexus One might be feeling a little obsolete. Frankly, there's hardly a better way to cheer it up than by installing an operating system that's a little more its speed. In the finest DOSBox tradition, one gentleman recently imbued his Googlephone with Windows 3.11, by far our favorite 1993 Microsoft OS. Realizing the futility of getting it to do anything -- ah, memories -- he set about crafting a step-by-step guide for you to do the same. If you care to give his misery company, you'll find instructions at our source link; if not, don your rose-tinted glasses and peep the video after the break.

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HTC Hero spied with Cox firmware?

8:31 PM

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