Plex, for those not familiar, is a software company whose former creed was to: “bridge the gap between your Mac and your home theater, doing so with a visually appealing user interface that provides instant access to your media.” Today, the company has announced that it will be partnering with electronics maker LG to “integrate the Plex platform into their 2011 lineup of Netcast connected TVs and Blu-ray devices.” In the company’s announcement, they quip that when it comes to connecting devices to your television, a Mac Mini is “too large,” a Boxee box is “too pointy,” and the new Apple TV is “too tiny.” The company is betting on this free, integrated software model to be the future of connected televisions. The announcement continues: “Early next year, when you buy an LG Netcast TV or Blu-ray player, you will have Plex functionality built-in. Specifically, it will connect to a cloud version of the Plex platform for online content, and, if you happen to have a Plex Media Server running anywhere in your house (after all, who doesn’t have a computer in their house?), you can access your local and online content, in a rich interface, with full metadata.” The concept of integrating mature, intuitive media software into a TV really does sound like a great idea; especially for LG, as TV manufacturers are always trying to differentiate themselves from the competition.

“There will be more content providers investing in writing Plex plug-ins, so your online content choices will grow. And next year, if you’re upgrading your TV, or or buying an LG Blu-ray player, you’ll have the ability to get Plex, built in, at no additional cost. Fully integrated into killer consumer electronics gear, exactly as it should be.”

Yes, that is the way it should be. Hit the read link for more info on Plex and their recently inked LG deal.

Read

This is adorable: a tiny charcoal BBQ grill using an Altoids Sours tin, two metal computer fan guards, and some sheet metal screws for legs. It looks like it fits one regular-sized briquette. As one of the commentors notes, this is great for marshmallows, but you could also cook a shrimp at a time.

Making it doesn’t require tools more sophisticated than a Dremel – no soldering, no nothing. Release the GeekDads. You could probably bang this thing out and be eating S’Mores before your neighbor’s charcoal grill is hot enough to cook.

Instructables user Vmspionage’s mini-grill was inspired by the earlier eBQ, which uses a full-sized Altoids tin. He also writes that “the propane version is coming soon! ” Now we just need someone to make a MintyBoost-powered electric starter, and we’ll really have something cooking.

Altoids Sours BBQ Grill [Instructables] via Makezine.

See Also:

• DIY Friday: Charge Your iPhone With AAs or Solar Power
• 100 Essential Skills for Geeks (GeekDad Wayback Machine)
• Fire Up The Grill: GeekDad Field Tests A Trio Of Portables …

Net Applications has released their report on global browsing usage numbers for iOS, Android, and Linux. The numbers show that from October of 2009 to August of 2010, both Android and iOS steadily increased their browser usage share, while Linux was mostly stagnant or declining. As of August 2010, iOS held 1.13% of global browser usage, Android held 0.20%, and Linux held 0.85%. To be frank, the fact that iOS holds a larger global browser share than Linux is a bit surprising. Hit the read link to see the detailed numbers with month by month breakdown.

[Via 9to5Mac]

Read

Today in Berlin, Huawei announced the official launch of its affordable, accessible Android 2.2 handset, the Ideos. The Ideos handset comes complete with a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display (320 x 240), 528 MHz processor, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera (no flash), HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi, 3G hotspot capabilities, and a micro-SD card slot. The device carries the “with Google” moniker (which means no Android skinning of any kind) and Huawei touted that Google was heavily involved in the designing of the Ideos. The company elaborated that Google’s direct involvement with the Ideos would ensure its owners OS updates with minimal delay, Nexus One style. The device will be available in mid-October for right around $175 off-contract; no word yet on whether or not this little guy will be coming Stateside. The phone is obviously meant to make an Android 2.2, touchscreen handset available to the masses… time will tell if the masses choose to oblige Huawei’s efforts. 

Read

Today, Apple posted its iPad 4.2 software update page to remind you of the improvements that the next iteration of iOS will have for your tablet device. For those who don’t know, iOS 4.2 will bring: multitasking, home screen folders, wireless document printing, AirPlay (streaming audio/video), Apple’s Game Center, a unified inbox, text search in the Safari web browser, as well as a handful of other modifications. The update is scheduled to roll out sometime in November. If you would like more details hit the read link to view the official Apple page.

Read

Warning: the information we are about to provide you is unconfirmed; please consume with a hefty dose of NaCl. European news and retail outlets are reporting that Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy Tab 7-inch tablet will retail for €699 ($897) and €799 ($1,025) for the 16 GB and 32 GB models respectively.  Those prices are high enough to cause nose bleeds! For comparisons sake: in Germany, Apple’s 9-inch iPad 3G retails for €599 and €699 for the 16 GB and 32 GB models respectively. Hopefully these prices are just speculative and the tablet is closer to the $500 price range when it makes its appearance stateside. What do you think the appropriate price tag is for the the Gally Tab?

[Via Engadget]

Read [1, 2, 3]

antec’s new speakers!! http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/02/antec-wants-to-rockus-with-its-new-soundscience-2-1-3d-speaker/

Any Apple fans out there waiting to grab the brand new iPod touch hotness? If so, you’re going to be pleased to learn that Apple’s newest iToy has hit the FCC for certification and has been mercilessly torn down. You’ll find that Apple A4 CPU, an internal antenna, 802.11 b/g/n, and a 3.44 watt-hour battery. Not to mention the Retina Display, front-facing camera for FaceTime, and rear-facing HD-capable shooter. Delicious.

[Via iClarified]

Read

During yesterday’s music-event keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs informed the crowd that his company was activating around 230,000 iOS devices every day. The figure 230,000 is of particular significance because just last month, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that the search giant was activating around 200,000 Android devices per diem. Jobs continued, and quipped, “we think some of our friends are counting upgrades in their numbers.” The implication being made here — albeit not a very subtle one — is that Google was including users upgrading from one Android device to another in their activation figures. In light of the semi-explicit innuendo, Google released a statement that reads: “The Android activation numbers do not include upgrades and are, in fact, only a portion of the Android devices in the market since we only include devices that have Google services.” Just another twig added to the Google versus Apple fire. Speaking of fire, try to keep the flaming comments to a minimum if you would.

Read

Interactive Map of Afghanistan for iPad. Image By/Used Courtesy Of Development Seed

GPS maps for smartphones generally require a fairly high-speed wireless internet connection, consume significant processor resources, and are optimized for driving. But what if your 3G connection is unreliable or unavailable, and you still need to get from point A to point B — perhaps on foot?

Last week, I spoke with Eric Gunderson and Ian Cairns at Development Seed, one of the companies developing tools to create custom maps that work in a wider variety of situations, like this one. It’s not that farfetched: In a natural disaster and in the developing world, mobile phones may be useful navigational aids, but only if they can work without a reliable data connection and are optimized for different kinds of transportation than just zooming down the highway to the nearest Starbucks.

Development Seed caught our attention with a post that Cairns wrote for PBS’s MediaShift Idea Lab on custom maps for cyclists and drunken, late-night pedestrians. For StumbleSafely, DC Bikes, and DC Nightvision, a typical street map was overlaid with crime data, bike lanes, bar and bike shop locations, and municipal infrastructure: “Not just buildings and roads, but even crosswalks, medians, and topography lines.” In short, all of the data that actually helps you get where you’re going when you’re not in a car.

These maps were built with TileMill, an open-source program the company created to help governments, NGOs, news organizations, and others easily create custom maps. The idea is to make map image tiles and Geographic Information System (GIS) data as easy to work with as RSS feeds or CSV databases are today.

“We want to put these tools in the hands of the subject-matter experts and see what they can do,” Gunderson told Wired.com. Development Seed won a Knight News Challenge award for the project.

Knight News Challenge: Tilemapping from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

One of the most-needed and currently most-poorly-served markets for mapping and data visualization support is in international development. As Gadget Lab reported this week, mobile devices are thriving in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the developing world, but data bandwidth and easy-to-find electricity aren’t.

“You can’t get an application like Google Earth working in Afghanistan,” Gunderson said. Maps On A Stick offers full-fledged, data-and-image-rich maps on a USB drive for no-bandwidth or poor-bandwidth use. The company and clients have plenty of experience with those scenarios, mapping uncharted road data in Africa, or helping relief workers provide housing assistance after Hurricane Katrina.

I think about those disaster scenarios often, just as I think about the people I love walking home alone in the city late at night.

When Apple launched the iPhone, it made a big deal about how its software team had written its own Maps client, using Google’s data only for the backend. It had to work for the touch interface, but it also had to make sense for how people would be likely to use Maps on a mobile device.

Now that easy mobile maps have become a natural part of our smartphone-carrying, 3G-surfing lives, it may be time for us to broaden our assumptions about the kinds of maps we’ll need and the conditions we’ll have when we need them.

See Also:

• Google Maps Finally Adds Bike Routes
• Microsoft Adds OpenStreetMap Layer to Bing Maps
• Help Us Review Google Maps for Bikes
• Preparing for the Next Haiti, with Maps, Texts and Tweets
• Google Maps Adds Bike Directions
• Satellite Net Service Sued for Caps, Paltry Bandwidth
• Using Google Earth and GPS to Track Afghanistan Cash

Formerly called Tweetie, Brichter’s popular iPhone app impressed the big wigs at Twitter headquarters who ultimately hired the talented coder to produce native Twitter software in house. Twitter for iPad is his first brand new creation since the acquisition, and from the looks of this app, it was clearly a wise investment.

Loading and sending tweets feels almost instant, and the overall design is very pleasant. When you’re creating a new tweet, for example, the app brings up a notepad-style compose window, which is plain cute.

It also introduces some functionality we haven’t seen before: tap on a tweet with a link, and the content loads in a browser pane (pictured above); pinch a person’s tweet to get more details on the author, and swipe down with two fingers to view the threaded conversation. The paned view of content was very cool and surprisingly fast with loading photos and web pages. However, the pinch and two-finger swipe functions are awfully gimmicky: simply tapping on a person’s tweet with a single finger shows profile details and threaded conversations as well, rendering the pinch and double-swipe redundant (screenshot below).

When composing a new tweet, there’s a location-pin button to share where you’re tweeting from, as well as a paperclip icon to attach a photo. The photo-sharing feature worked in a snap, but after multiple attempts I couldn’t seem to get the location feature to work properly. I’ve put in a query to Brichter about this issue, and I’ll post an update when I receive a response.

All in all, it’s a sweet update, and it’s free. Download the Twitter app in the iPad’s App Store.

See Also:

• With Tweetie Acquisition, Twitter Locks On Mobile
• Hands-On: Tweetie for Mac Shakes Up Twitterverse
• Tweetie 2 for iPhone Flutters Into the App Store

Way back in September of 2005 — over one year before the launch of the iPhone — Apple and Motorola were jointly pimping a handset called the ROKR E1 (pronounced “rocker”). The ROKR was a candy-bar-style device that had the dubious honor of being the first cell phone with the ability to natively integrate with Apple’s iTunes music software. What did the ROKR’s stat sheet look like? Glad you asked… the phone had a 176 x 220 pixel display, VGA camera with flash, Bluetooth, stereo headset jack, 22 KHz stereo speakers, micro-SD card slot (support for up to 512 MB), iTunes compatibility, and a fancy feature called “rhythm lights.” Unfortunately, the phone’s music player was throttled (with software) and only 100 songs were allowed to be stored on the device. Just five years ago this sweet little package would have set you back $249.99 when signing a 2-year contract with mobile provider Cingular. It’s amazing what half of a decade does to prices and expectations, no? We can’t say we ever bought into the ROKR; although we did own the very sexy SLVR L7 (image after the jump) which also sported iTunes integration. How about you? Take a stroll down cell phone memory lane… what was the last device you owned before you bought a smartphone and what ridiculous monetary sum did it cost you?

BGR Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

Image from Samsung Korea, via Gregory Han at Apartment Therapy Unpluggd

All-in-one printer/scanner/fax machines are so yesterday. Maybe the way to go is with better, single purpose devices: A compact, portable scanner combined with a fast, monochrome laser printer.

I hate my all-in-one machine. It sits on my desk, filled up with its expensive color ink cartridges, mocking me. I never print photos or make copies, and I don’t have a land line to fax anything. But I regularly need to print out black-and-white documents, and a little less regularly scan text or images. I need machines that perform these tasks cheaply and reliably, and then get out of the way when I don’t need them.

This is where two new buying guides might prove very handy.

The first is for scanners: IEEE.org’s “Speed-Dating Portable Scanners,” flirts with the MobileOffice (too big) and the DocuPen (too wimpy) before falling for the Doxie (just right, and which Wired recently reviewed). Pink hearts aren’t usually my thing, but I could really go for a scanner that fits in a laptop bag and Just Works, so I just might broaden my horizons.

The second guide is for printers: Apartment Therapy Unpluggd makes the case for old-school laser printers in “Stark Black and White: Why The Monochrome Laser Printer Still Makes Sense“:

Back when we had a color inkjet printer we were constantly running out of black cartridges. Those pieces of plastic we wasted and merely threw away requiring us to buy a new one after what only seemed liked 20 pages. Once we moved to a simple monochrome laser jet we began to notice that we could print literally thousands of pages before our toner cartridge went out. And instead of paying $35.00 for a shoddy black inkjet cartridge, that same cash can get us happily printing on our way for over a year.

In “Good Looking Printer For Small Space?” Unpluggd recommends the Samsung SCX-4500 monochrome laser — plus the Canon PIXMA iP100 and HP OfficeJet H470 for low-footprint printers with color.

The Samsung actually has a built-in scanner, but a portable model is still awfully appealing; if you’re anything like me, your papers wind up all over the house, while your all-in-one stays in just one place. If the mountain (of text) won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.

See Also:

• The $20 DIY Book Scanner
• Doxie Scanner Sends and Shares
• HP Plans Line of (Relatively) Affordable 3-D Printers
• Office Equipment Does Printer Jam at onedotzero

Today, at IFA, Samsung executives confirmed previous rumors and outed Google’s next, next mobile OS’ namesake: Honeycomb (also known as Android 3.5). No features or specific details were given about Android 3.5 other than its code name and the fact that it will focus on tablets with larger screens. Samsung also said that there would be multiple Galaxy Tab models with different screen sizes, features, and price points. Though not specifically stated, it would appear as though those models are not due in the near-future; Sammy’s executives reiterated they are laser-focused on the Galaxy Tab’s immanent release (which will get Android 3.0 when it is released, in case you were wondering).

Read

After weeks of leaked photos and videos, Samsung’s 7-inch tablet called the Galaxy Tab is finally here. Samsung has announced the launch of the tablet that could become the first major Android-powered challenger to the Apple iPad.

The Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and has a 7-inch LCD display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. At 0.8 pounds, the device weighs just about half as much as the iPad.  It also supports Adobe’s Flash Player 10.1 so it can display web pages that run Flash — something the iPad can’t.

Samsung hasn’t announced a price yet for the Galaxy Tab.

Since Apple launched the iPad in April, almost every major consumer electronics maker has said it is working on a slate of its own. Yet only a few have yet made it to the market.

Earlier this month, Dell launched the Streak, a device with a 5-inch display that has been billed as a tablet but is priced and acts like a phone. Dell plans to introduce more tablets. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and HP are also reportedly developing tablets. The JooJoo tablet, launched in March by a former partner of TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, debuted to negative reviews, has not sold well and is embroiled in legal wrangling.

Meanwhile, Apple has sold more than 3 million iPads.

The Galaxy Tab has a smooth, slab-like design that’s similar to the iPad. It packs in a powerful Cortex A8 1.0-GHz processor and supports HD video. The device has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video telephony over 3G and a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera to capture images and video. It will offer 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage and will have microSD expansion for up to 32 GB of additional storage.

The Galaxy Tab will support 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, along with push e-mail. It will not offer voice-calling features (except via VoIP apps).

Android OS fills out a smart hardware package

Hold the Galaxy Tab and the first thing that strikes you is how compact the device is. The Galaxy Tab has a smaller screen than the iPad and that translates into a lighter device.

The tablet’s smaller size also makes it easier to hold it in just one hand as you would with an e-reader like the Kindle or the Nook. The 7-inch display means the device is small enough to slip into the pocket of a suit or a purse.

The Galaxy Tab runs Android, an operating system that so far has done best on smartphones.

But Samsung seems to have done a good job of making the Android OS work on the tablet form factor. Samsung has an attractive calendar app for the Galaxy Tab and the e-mail app on the tablet is comparable to that on the iPad.

The Galaxy Tab also includes an e-reading application powered by Kobo — the e-reader sold at Borders. The tablet has a Media Hub for video clips and movies, which Samsung hopes to offer as rentals or downloads that users can buy.

Almost all independent apps in the Android Market will work for the Galaxy Tab, says Samsung. So users can buy the tablet and immediately have apps they can download and play with. But we will have to test this to see if it will work for all apps in the Market.

Samsung plans to launch the device in Europe in mid September, and in the United States and Asia shortly thereafter.

See Also:

• Samsung to Launch 7-inch Tablet in September
• Video: Samsung Tablet Looks Like a Strong iPad Rival
• Samsung Enters Tablet Race With the Galaxy Tape
• First Look: ELocity’s Android Tablet Makes Great Media Player …
• Attack of the Pads: Tablets Take On Apple

Photos: Samsung

We knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when. Today, Verizon Wireless announced that it would be “expanding its portfolio of prepaid offerings to include a new 3G Prepaid data package that lets customers access unlimited data on select 3G Smartphones and Multimedia phones for $30 monthly access.” Here is the official list of prepaid smartphone devices Verizon Wireless will offer: BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry Curve 8530, BlackBerry Storm 9530, BlackBerry Storm2 9550, BlackBerry Tour 9630, BlackBerry Bold 9650, Palm Pre Plus, Palm Pixi Plus, DROID by Motorola, Motorola DEVOUR, DROID X by Motorola, DROID 2 by Motorola, DROID Eris by HTC, DROID Incredible by HTC, and the LG Ally. The new prepaid offerings will be available in stores and online beginning on September 28th.

Read

The unreleased Samsung Fascinate continues to make appearances in the wild. This time, it can be seen posing for several cameos with its Verizon friend — and fellow member of the Android No-Keyboard Club – the DROID X. We’re still hearing that the Fascinate is due for release in the September 8 – 10 timeframe and the the device will also be available for Verizon’s prepaid, pay-as-you-go plans. We’ve got several more images after the break.

We’ve just been sent in some visual confirmation of what we already knew: Wind Mobile will be adding the BlackBerry Pearl 3G to its pre-paid handset lineup. What we didn’t know, and our source was kind enough to tip us off on, is that the handset will be officially announced today. No details on price were provided, but we’re confident the handset will retail for right around $300. There you have it.

UPDATE: The device is now up on Wind Mobile’s website for $300.

Arc Touch Mouse Promotional Photo from Microsoft.com

Microsoft has made two new controllers — one for your computer, one for your XBox 360 — that can switch into different shapes depending on your needs or preferences. The well-leaked, much-anticipated Arc Touch Mouse is shipping now; the new wireless XBox Play and Charge kit will be out stateside in November.

Exactly a month ago, Microsoft Hardware teased their new mouse on Twitter with a partial image and a riddle/tagline: “Don’t be so touchy… flat is where it’s at.” Most people guessed it was a new mouse or trackpad, but as John Paczkowski noted, “the composite image also looks like the back of a smartphone or media player…or a remote control…or an electric razor…or a pancake griddle.” What was this new mystery device?

Well, it’s a highly mobile, lightweight, touch-sensitive mouse that arcs to fit in the palm of your hand while you’re using it and packs flat so you can stuff it in a pocket on the go. It’s targeted for laptop users who don’t like their always-flat trackpads.

In a press release titled “Think the Mouse is Dead?“, Microsoft Hardware’s Brett Ostrum wrote that even as trackpads and other input devices have evolved, the market for mice has only grown: “The reasons people need external mice will not change: comfort and precision.”

There are some nice concessions to the trackpad model here, though: the Arc Touch has a touch strip instead of a scroll wheel. Instead of a perfectly smooth drag, the strip vibrates to simulate to simulate a wheel’s click-click bumps. I hope you can toggle this feature on and off — I imagine some people enjoy, or at least have gotten accustomed to, the finger-on-glass feel of a trackpad or touchscreen.

(Here’s a promotional video of the Arc Touch in action. If only Microsoft could invent a Silverlight video that could flat-pack into HTML 5 for easy embedding!)

The XBox 360 has a new wireless controller, too, but its flat-packing profile tweak is more subtle. Its directional pad can pop up into a “plus” for raised directional controls, or snap flush into a “disc” for easy Street Fighter II-style thumb-drag joystick moves. (Sorry for the outdated game reference. I’m old.)

There are plenty of other nice things in this model, including wireless (of course) and a new silver-gray look. But I think the versatility of the d-pad is the real item of interest here. As we start using remotes for game consoles to do more and more things, whether as media players or web browsers, we’re going to want controllers that can morph to match.

See Also:

• Hands On: Xbox Kinect Games Give You a Serious Workout
• Why Xbox Might Be Microsoft's Future — and Computing's, Too …
• Apple Redefines Remote Control — Now, It's Your Cellphone
• Poof! After Wireless, the Computer Mouse Turns Invisible
• Toe-Mouse for Foot-Controlled Computing
• Wired 13.06: The Xbox Reloaded

T-Mobile’s own website has confirmed that the company’s first HSPA+ device — the HTC G2 – will be rocking Android 2.2 and will be powered by an 800 MHz Scorpion processor. T-Mobile is billing the device as the “fastest smartphone experience in America” thanks to the company’s HSPA+ network with “4G” speeds. The device will come with Adobe Flash 10.1 and the G2 will be exclusive to T-Mobile. Anyone previously considering the G2 turned off by the 800 MHz processor?

Read

It looks like our friends over at Samsung have officially outed their much hyped Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet device. The Galaxy Tab will pack a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps / HSDPA 7.2 Mbps radio (900, 1900, 2100 MHz), quad-band GSM, 7-inch WSVGA screen with multitouch, Android 2.2, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, DLNA, Flash 10.1, 4,000 mAh battery, 3 megapixel rear-facing camera with flash, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, full HD video playback at 1080p, microSD card slot with support for up to a 32 GB card, and the unit will weigh 380 grams (13.4 ounces). Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is quite a spec sheet (although the  3 megapixel camera seems a bit sheepish compared to the rest of the device). The closing line of the press release states that, “The Samsung GALAXY Tab will be launched in Europe in mid September, and in other markets including Korea, the US and Asia in coming months;” no word yet on pricing. Let us know your thoughts on the official Galaxy Tab in the comments.

Read

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown [iFixit. Thanks, Kyle!]

Captions by Charlie Sorrel and Kyle Wiens

Following this mornings announcement by Rogers, Telus has announced that they too will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch 9800 on September 24th. Telus’ VP of Mobility and Solutions, Brent Jonston, had this to say: “Both business and consumer customers will get an incredible mobile experience from the new BlackBerry Torch smartphone. Telus is pleased to bring the BlackBerry Torch to Canadians, which will allow them to easily stay connected, entertained and informed wherever they are while running on our blazing fast 3G+ network.” No pricing was given in the press release, but $199 on a 3-year contract is a pretty safe bet.

Read

The gang over at Talk Android have gotten the scoop from Rovio — makers of Angry Birds – about their immediate plans for Google’s mobile OS. In an email to TA, Rovio writes:

This week, we were planning to run a closed beta test of Angry Birds Lite for Android. Due to the massive response and demand from the Android community, we have decided to make Angry Birds Lite Beta available for everybody through the Android Market this Friday.

Please note that this will be the beta version of the application which is still undergoing final testing before official release. Angry Birds Lite Beta is presented on an “as is” basis, and we cannot guarantee its functionality on every Android device.

Excellent news for all those Android fanatics who just can’t get enough of the addicting, bird-slinging, green pig-slaying game (present company included). Android user productivity begins its steep decline on Friday; who’s excited?

Read

Apple’s specifications page for the Touch lists a resolution of 960-by-720 pixels for the rear camera, which is roughly one megapixel. That’s several steps below the 5-megapixel camera seen in the iPhone 4.

Then again, the iPod Touch is about one millimeter thinner than the iPhone 4 (which is significant when it comes to pocketability). Anything bigger than a one-megapixel sensor probably would have been a squeeze, especially when you consider that the Touch includes a front-facing camera, too.

When Apple refreshed its iPod family last year, many expected the iPod Touch to gain a camera and were left disappointed when it didn’t. However, a teardown by iFixIt revealed that was just barely enough room for a camera. iFixIt CEO Kyle Wiens speculated that the feature was omitted due to engineering challenges.

Long story short, the iPod Touch’s camera probably isn’t great, but we’re glad it’s finally here.

See our earlier posts for more details on the new iPods announced today.

Via DaringFireball

See Also:

• Live Blog: Apple’s iPod, Music Event
• Sporty New iPods Tout Tiny Touchscreens, Retina Display

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

TmoNews has just gotten word that the unreleased and unannounced HTC G2 will be priced at $199 with a 2-year contract and $499 without on T-Mobile. The intel comes via a screen shot of T-Mobile’s internal TeamLine system. No real surprises here; after all, $199 is the smartphone sweet spot for high-end devices. Now all we need is an official unveiling and some detailed specifications.

Read

Promotional Image from Apple.com.

The App Store has offered a Remote app for iOS devices for a while now, but the new Apple TV might be the best use-case to show what an app-based touchscreen remote can do.

The new Apple TV had two remotes. The first is the minimalist metal slab that will ship with your tiny box. The second is the iOS application that you’ll download from the App store.

The first iteration of Apple TV had the same little white infrared remote the company used to ship with laptops. It was great for clicking through a slideshow presentation. It wasn’t very good to keep around your living room, unless you stuck it in a bowl with your keys. It wasn’t a real remote, and most people hated keeping track of another remote anyway, especially one that got lost at the drop of a hat.

The new remote, released earlier this year, isn’t a lot different from that old white remote. It’s a nicer device; like everything else Apple makes now besides the new square iPods, it’s a long strip of aluminum. It’s still got just six buttons: up, down, right, left, play/pause and menu.

But that minimalism seems almost smarter now. Apple now seems to be figuring out the exact number of hardware buttons it needs on each device. It took away too much on the iPod Shuffle, so now some buttons are coming back. It wanted to get rid of the buttons on the Nano, so it changed it to touchscreen.

For the Apple TV, it’s keeping the action on the screen, with the software interface. Make that easy to navigate, give people the exact options they need depending on context, and you don’t need dozens of buttons on the remote/media player/phone.

Maybe you don’t even need a remote, though. That’s because Apple TV’s second remote control is the Apple-made mobile device that Apple TV customers probably already own.

Seriously — what are the chances of someone buying Apple TV who doesn’t have an iPod, iPad or iPhone?

[Continue reading]

Apple’s iPod Nano, iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle on Wednesday all received some compelling makeovers that should help Apple stay in the lead in the portable media player market.

The iPod Nano was the most interesting upgrade. It does away with the click wheel seen in previous models and is now more like a belt buckle with a multi touchscreen displaying four mini icons on the main screen — basically, a quarter of the size of an iPhone or iPod Touch. The Nano is now 1.6 inches wide, 1.4 inches tall and just 0.3 inches thick including the belt clip.

One screen on the Nano shows Artists, Playlists, Genius Mixes and Now Playing. Swipe your finger and you get a few more apps: radio, photo, podcasts and settings. There’s no home button, so you have to hold your finger down on the screen to exit an app, which is simple enough. You can also rearrange the icons by holding your finger on an app until it jiggles, then move it to wherever you’d like — just like on the iPhone.

The question remains as to whether or not the iPod Nano is running iOS and if we’ll be able to jailbreak it to run different apps. Apple hasn’t disclosed whether the operating system was iOS, but it sure looks like it. Update: An Apple engineer told Wired magazine editor Mark McClusky that the Nano does not run iOS.

Also noteworthy is that the Nano does not include a camera, even though last year’s model just introduced one. I guess nobody cared about shooting video with the tiny device, which isn’t surprising.

Also nifty on the Nano is the small integrated clip to snap the device on to your pocket or belt buckle. The entire body including the clip is made of aluminum, so it feels nice and sturdy.

Moving on to the iPod Touch, this was a predictable but monster update. It’s about a millimeter thinner than the iPhone 4, even though it’s got most of the same guts. There are the front and rear cameras — the rear for shooting videos and photos, the front for FaceTime video conferencing.

The Touch now has an Apple A4 processor and the high-resolution “retina display.” Grip it in your hand and it feels really smooth and light.

I had a chance to test FaceTime and it felt even faster than FaceTime on the iPhone 4, though this time around Apple might have just had a better Wi-Fi connection.

Overall, the new iPod Touch is the same as the iPhone 4 but now we can’t really say, “It’s an iPhone without a phone,” because the Touch includes a video-conferencing webphone! That’s a major difference and should have an impact on video conferencing in general.

Last, and least important, was an upgrade for the iPod Shuffle. To put it simply, it’s another belt-clip iPod similar to the Nano, only with the traditional click wheel. On the top is an integrated button for VoiceOver, which enables the iPod to dictate the playlist you’re listening to.

The Shuffle is puny — 1.2 inches wide, 1.1 inches tall and 0.3 inches thick. And it’s so lightweight I could barely even feel it in my pocket, which should be ideal for athletes.

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Update: Corrected an error where I said the previous iPod Nano snapped photos, when actually it only shot video.

Update 2: Fixed a mix-up about the iPod Shuffle’s VoiceOver command. Thanks to the readers who pointed it out.

See Also:

• Hands-on With the New $100 Apple TV
• Apple Takes Aim at Cable With Tiny New Apple TV
• Live Blog: Apple’s iPod, Music Event
• Apple to Live Stream Press Conference — to Apple Customers Only

Microsoft just dropped us a quick note to let us know that Windows Phone 7 has officially hit release to manufacturing (RTM) stage. As the note states: “The operating system has been finalized and is being delivered to partners around the world who will continue the work of integrating software with their hardware and networks to create amazing devices for customers by holiday season 2010.” Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows Phone Engineering, Terry Myerson, had this to say in the blog post announcing the feat: “Windows Phone 7 is the most thoroughly tested mobile platform Microsoft has ever released.  We had nearly ten thousand devices running automated tests daily, over a half million hours of active self-hosting use, over three and a half million hours of stress test passes, and eight and a half million hours of fully automated test passes.  We’ve had thousands of independent software vendors and early adopters testing our software and giving us great feedback. We are ready.” We’re ready too, Terry. Bring on the WP7 devices!

Read

SAN FRANCISCO — When Steve Jobs was preparing to introduce the Apple TV, he called it “one more hobby,” and based on our first impressions, that’s a safe choice of words.

The new Apple TV is a major hardware upgrade. One quarter the size of its predecessor, it’s a small black box with curved edges, somewhat resembling a hockey puck. The highlights: It costs $100, and it integrates nearly instant streaming TV and movie rentals, along with Netflix streaming.

The major limitation: For TV rentals, only two studios are on board to stream shows through the Apple TV — ABC and Fox. This isn’t an adequate replacement yet for cable subscriptions.

So calling it a “hobby” was right — Apple’s starting out small, and maybe it’ll roll into something bigger if more studios warm up to the idea.

Nonetheless, I got some hands-on time with the new Apple TV and it is a promising start.

TV and movie rentals are really snappy and fast. After choosing to rent a movie or show, the Apple TV takes a few seconds to prepare a buffer and begins streaming your video live.

Also particularly cool was internet integration. I enjoyed searching through Flickr streams: Select a photo and hit the Play button and it immediately plays a slideshow with music and fancy transitions. I’m too lazy to check my friends’ Flickr streams the normal way on Flickr.com, aren’t you? Plus, the photos look great on a big screen through the Apple TV’s HDMI connection.

The Apple TV’s remote is familiar: It’s got the same aluminum and black design as the current MacBook Pros. It’s also very similar to the current Apple remote that controls Macs — only it’s a little longer and the buttons have small bumps for subtle tactile feedback. It feels great in the hand and navigating through the Apple TV menu was really smooth.

As good as the idea sounds, you won’t be able to use your iPhone or iPad as a remote for the Apple TV (not yet, at least). Instead, there’s a feature called “AirPlay,” so if you’re using your iPad or iPhone to listen to music, look at photos or watch a video, you can tap an AirPlay button, select your Apple TV and boom — your content is streaming onto your Apple TV. We weren’t able to test that since this feature won’t be available until iOS 4.2 ships in November, but we’ll keep you posted.

You can also stream media from your Mac’s iTunes library by choosing the “Computer” option and selecting a movie or playlist. I tested that out too, and it worked fine, but do note that iTunes only supports a few formats for video (.H264, for instance). So if you prefer getting media through some alternative non-iTunes-compatible means, you’re still going to be doing a lot of file conversion before you can watch your videos on the Apple TV.

All in all, it’s a cool device, and for $100 it’s going to pose a serious threat to the Roku Netflix player. But as a TV replacement, it’s still not there yet. Maybe later.

See Also:

• Apple Takes Aim at Cable With Tiny New Apple TV
• Live Blog: Apple’s iPod, Music Event
• Apple to Live Stream Press Conference — to Apple Customers Only

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

If you are anxious to get iOS 4.1 onto your device, and are enrolled in Apple’s developer program, you’re in luck. Apple has just updated developer.apple.com with the new iOS 4.1 Gold Master bits; the update weighs in at a hefty 590 MB. If you find anything new and interesting — that wasn’t mentioned in today’s keynote — be sure to drop a note about it in the comments.

Thanks, CDeeRon!

Read

SAN FRANCISCO — In a sign that its television “hobby” has turned into serious business, Apple announced an aggressively-priced new set-top box that takes aim at the heart of the cable TV and DVD rental industries.

The new Apple TV, which will go on sale at the end of September for $100, is a puny box just 1/4 the size of the previous model. It has an HDMI port, a power supply built in it, an optical audio port, an Ethernet jack, and built-in Wi-Fi.

“It’s silent, cool and tiny,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, showing off the diminutive metallic box.

Despite rumors, the product was not re-branded as “iTV.” Jobs did not state whether it was running a version of iOS, although the Apple TV’s new interface includes some very iOS-like touches, such as icons that jiggle when you are rearranging them in your Netflix queue.

Apple joins an increasingly crowded and risky scrum of companies trying to reinvent television for the internet age. Netflix and Hulu both have been offering streaming video playback of movies and TV shows, with some success, for over a year. Google is working on a set-top box that would blur the line between TV and internet fare, YouTube is said to be planning mainstream film rentals and Amazon is rumored to be planning its own Netflix-like video streaming service. But the real threat are the cable companies and TV networks, which have a lock on the shows that people want to watch — and so far, there’s been little incentive for them to open up their tightly-controlled ecosystems to internet upstarts.

Apple’s play is for convenience, but it’s not the cross-platform strategy needed for dominance, wrote Andrew Eisner, a director at online electronics retailer Retrevo.com.

“A TV OS vacuum exists at the moment and unfortunately for consumers, TV manufacturers appear to be filling it with their own proprietary offerings,” Eisner wrote recently. “Apple needs to gain control of the third screen or TV screen, after smartphone screens and computer screens, and the TV industry needs to move away from closed environments and let their connected TVs work with all the apps and streaming content that consumers are finding so appealing.”

The company will also be providing a feature within iOS 4.2 that customers can use to share videos wirelessly from their iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads. Called “AirPlay,” the feature will let customers display a video from their mobile device, on an Apple TV-connected TV screen, with a single tap. IOS 4.2 won’t be available until November.

AirPlay “puts iPhones and iPads in the driver’s seat and makes the TV just an output device for the Apple ecosystem,” said Forrester analyst James McQuivey. “Expect Apple to gradually push more and more in that direction.”

“But,” McQuivey added, “as of this moment in 2010, Apple has not yet made a significant play for control of the TV.”

In an implicit acknowledgment of Apple TV’s poor sales to date, Jobs again referred to the product as the company’s “hobby.” He showed the new Apple TV at a press conference here on Wednesday.

But Jobs was careful to cast the company’s previous product as a learning experience, and indicated his intention of throwing more of the company’s weight behind the upgraded Apple TV.

Apple TV customers will be able to rent first-run HD movies for $5, at the same time as they’re released on DVD. That’s a substantial improvement from the past, when there were significant time lags before movies were available through iTunes.

Customers will also be able to rent HD TV shows from ABC and Fox for $1, a discount from the previous price of $3. The shows will run without commercial interruption.

Netflix customers will also be able to stream video from Netflix via Apple TV, and can also use the device to browse and view YouTube videos and content uploaded to Apple’s MobileMe service.

Customers can also stream content from their computers, including photos, videos and music, with no syncing required.

Apple is already accepting pre-orders for the new Apple TV on its site.

For full coverage of Apple’s press conference, see Wired.com’s live blog of the event.

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

See Also:

• Why iOS Could Make Apple TV Succeed
• Logitech Google TV Box Embarrasses Apple TV
• Boxee Beta, Now On Apple TV
• Apple's New iTV Will Cost $100, Won't Do 1080p

Today, Apple introduced its next generation Apple TV that focuses on streaming media and HD content. The new box is one-quarter the size of its predecessor and is sleek, black, and fairly nondescript. The device has power, HDMI, optical audio, and ethernet ports on its rear; Wi-Fi b/g/n is built into the device. The new Apple TV will provide Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Podcast and MobileMe streaming to its owners as well as several iTunes rental options. First-run HD movies can be rented from the iTunes Store for $4.99 (prices will go down as the movie ages) and HD TV shows from ABC and Fox will be available for $0.99 per episode. Just like the previous ATV, pictures and videos can be streamed from your iPhoto library to your connected television. A new feature included on iPads, iPod Touches, and iPhones, titled AirPlay, will allow videos bought or stored on your iDevice to be streamed directly to the AppleTV and ultimately your connected TV. The device will launch in five countries, will be available for pre-order today, and will retail for $99.

Read

Today, Apple announced that iTunes 10 would be getting a new icon and new social feature called Ping. Ping was described by Apple’s CEO as “Twitter and Facebook meets iTunes.” The new Ping feature allows you to create a virtual group of friends, within iTunes, who you can share music likes, dislikes, and recommendations with. Ping will alert you of nearby concerts, new tracks discovered by friends, and items posted by friends. The Ping service will be available on the iPhone and iPod Touch as well and will be included in the Music Store app. iTunes 10 will be available for download starting today.

Apple Wednesday showed off a sporty new model in its popular line of tiny MP3 players, the iPod Nano, a “retina display”-enhanced version of its iPod Touch, and a new version of its iPod Shuffle.

The new iPod Touch is basically the same as the iPhone 4 but thinner, and without the phone: it gains the latter’s high-resolution display, front- and back-facing cameras for videoconferencing, A4 chip, three-axis gyroscope, and iOS 4.1 with Game Center.

The display, which Apple calls a retina display, is the same 326 ppi, 24-bit color LED screen found in the iPhone 4.

The new Nano, which is a small square apparently about 1.5 inches on a side, does away with the click wheel on previous models, replacing it with a tiny, square touchscreen that nearly covers the face of the device.

The Nano has hardware buttons for controlling the volume. It will support the voiceover feature that first appeared in the iPod Shuffle, and will also have an FM radio and support for the popular Nike+ pedometer/fitness add-on. Apple claims its battery will last for 24 hours of audio playback.

The iPod Nano will come in two versions: one with 8GB of storage for $150 and one with 6GB for $180.

Apple also announced a small, square, screenless version of the iPod Shuffle. It’s actually larger than the previous model Shuffle, but CEO Steve Jobs said that customers missed the control buttons, so the clickwheel interface returns to the larger Shuffle with this model.

The iPod Shuffle will have 2GB of storage and will cost $50.

For full coverage of Apple’s press conference, see Wired.com’s live blog of the event.

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Following up on the iOS 4.1 announcement, Apple unveiled three new iPod models to refresh their music player lineup. The iPod Shuffle will go back to its familiar matchbook-like form, complete with buttons and clip, and will hold 2 GB of music; the new Shuffle will be available in five different colors and retail for $49. As reported across the internet, the new iPod Nano will be a small, multitouch, square device, have a clip — like the Shuffle — and will be sold in seven different colors; including a Product(RED) version. It will be available in an 8 GB model for $149 and a 16 GB model for $179.

And of course, the iPod Touch was not left out of the upgrade festival. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs touted that the iPod Touch is the most popular portable gaming device in the world; outselling Sony and Nintendo combined. The new device is thinner, lighter, has Apple’s Retina display, 1 GHz A4 processor, front facing camera with FaceTime support, rear-facing camera with 720p HD recording, iOS 4.1 support, and 3-axis gyroscope. The iPod Touch will retail for: 8GB $229, 32 GB $299, 64 GB $399.

All the new iPod models will be available for pre-order today and will begin shipping next week.

The first revision to the operating system, iOS 4.1, will be available next week as a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but not the iPad. IOS 4.1 includes bug fixes, support for making high dynamic range (HDR) photos, TV show rentals, and an entertainment feature for multiplayer gaming called Game Center.

Jobs says that the bug fixes are focused on the issues most frequently raised by customer support calls.

“We think we’ve nailed a lot of them and we think you’re going to be pretty happy with them,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said.

The next version, iOS 4.2, will available in November for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users. Its feature enhancements will be focused on iPad users, with a focus on wireless printing from the iPad. It will also include features already available to iOS 4 users on the other two platforms, but which have not yet been made available to the iPad: multitasking, multi-threaded e-mail and folders.

Story continues …

At today’s keynote event, Apple announced that iOS 4.1 is coming out of beta and getting official. Additions to the latest iOS code base include bug fixes, HDR photos, and the inclusion of the Game Center. Apple is stating that iOS 4.1 addresses Bluetooth issues, proximity sensor, and iPhone 3G issues that have been reported ad nauseum in Apple’s support forums. HDR photos, for those not familiar, occur when your camera takes several photos — in succession — at different exposure levels. The photos are then combined using software that chooses the optimal lighting conditions, from each of the photos, for each area of the original photo. HDR shots result in images “with preserved or exaggerated local contrast” which increases the artistic effect of your shot. The Game Center will be live in the new OS update and will have several new game titles available. iOS 4.1 will also add HD video uploads to YouTube over Wi-Fi and  TV show rentals (we’re sure there will be more on this later). iOS 4.1 is set to drop next week.

Rogers has just announced that they will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch 9800 beginning on September 24th. The device will be available on rogers.com or in-stores for $199 with a 3-year contract. The company quips, “As we approach the launch, you can stay on top of the latest updates by signing up at www.rogers.com/torch.” We’re not sure we would want to be married to this particular (or any?) device for three years, but there you have it. There is a video of BlackBerry’s Director of Marketing, explaining why this device is so cool, after the break.

Read