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YouTube launches Leanback, mobile site gets HTML5 revamp (video)

By Ross Miller

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 8:14PM

Looks like YouTube's having quite the day. The site has officially rolled out Leanback, its television-friendly interface first espied during Google TV's big unveiling. The interface works via keyboard arrow keys -- sorry, no option to use the mouse -- letting you scroll through your feeds / recommendations, categories, playback options, and search bar. Videos encompass the entire browser menu and will crank up the HD when available. So far, we're seeing snappy response with navigation, and some utter embarrassment at the (unfortunately accurate) suggestions YouTube is throwing our way.

Meanwhile on the handheld front, YouTube's also pushed live a new mobile site. New touted features include a more touch-friendly UI, further incorporation of the main site's elements such as favorites and ratings, and a generally speedier existence. YouTube also promises to work at bringing update parity across its desktop and portable kin, "unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently" (come on, tell us how you really feel, guys). Since the TV season is in a bit of a lull anyway, might as well grab your iPhone, Android device, HTPC remote, laptop, or whatever other screen you have and play catchup with your viral videos. Promotional footage after the break.

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YouTube Leanback, Mobile

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Junaio's augmented reality app for iPhone and Android can add cartoons to your otherwise-boring existence

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 6:14PM

Hands-On

As an augmented reality navigator that you want to use for finding pizza joints and friends on Foursquare and Twitter, you've got more polished options than Junaio's new 2.0 release -- Layar and Yelp, just to name a couple -- but Junaio has at least one interesting differentiator with a feature it calls "Glue." Basically, independent content providers can develop their own Junaio "channels," which function in the same way as a Layar layer -- it's a particular set of points of interest that'll be displayed in the current view. With Glue, though, Junaio isn't just using your positional information as a point of reference, it can also scan the image for specific objects that developers have programmed their channel to look for, and when such an object is found, crazy things can happen.

In Junaio's demo, pointing the camera at a superhero-type cartoon dude causes a 3D representation of him to be rendered on the phone's screen; when you tap on him, he'll point his gun. It's an interesting concept that could eventually have some commercial implications, but in the short term, the company just needs to improve the app -- it crashed several times for us, and its support for changing orientation is a little wonky. If you want to check it out, it's a free download for both the iPhone and Android; while you wait for the install, check out our quick video demo after the break.

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Samsung Vibrant launching on July 15 instead of 21?

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 5:50PM

We've just been tipped with a document claiming that the Samsung Vibrant -- T-Mobile USA's flavor of the Galaxy S -- is now slated for a July 15 launch (with devices actually shipping to stores on the 7th) versus the July 21 date that had been pegged at the official announcement. Interestingly, this lines up with a completely different document that's been slipped to TmoNews today, so we tend to believe it; question is, why the change? Is T-Mobile looking to get a Super AMOLED jump on the competition, seeing how all four US nationals are launching a version of the phone? On the outset, seems like it wouldn't be a dumb move, though we can't imagine many folks jumping ship and heading to T-Mobile to pick it up when they know they can wait a few days and get a virtually identical phone (or in the case of Sprint, an arguably even better phone) on their own provider.

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Samsung Intercept for Sprint now totally official: July 11 for $100

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 5:28PM

Well, that didn't take long, did it? Just earlier today we were talking about how the Intercept was starting to make its way into bits and pieces of Sprint's system, but now, the announcement's here and it's the real deal. Most notably, the Android-powered landscape QWERTY slider will go to market for under $100 (by a penny, anyway) on contract after rebate, making it a value-oriented alternative for the monsters like the EVO 4G and Epic 4G that Sprint is pushing on the high end. Of course, if you pay a midrange price, you're going to get midrange features; the 3.2 megapixel cam with video capture, isn't going to blow anyone away, and amazingly, Sammy has gone with an EV-DO Rev. 0 radio (as opposed to Rev. A) which means you'll be limping along with slower data speeds than you'd expect from your average modern CDMA smartphone. Look for it to hit Sprint's site and stores starting this Sunday, July 11. Follow the break for the full press release.

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T-Mobile and HTC to launch first 21Mbps HSPA+ smartphone in September

By Nilay Patel

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 5:06PM

T-Mobile might be busy expanding its we-swear-it's-like-4G HSPA+ network to all sorts of metro areas in the US, but those theoretical 21Mbps speeds have been limited to those wielding WebConnect Rocket data cards, not any actual phones. It looks like that's about to change, though: a spokesman for T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom told Light Reading that an HTC-built Android phone capable of HSPA+ speeds will launch in September, followed by another device in the fourth quarter sometime before the holidays. That lines up with what we've been hearing, as we've been told that the first device will actually be the leaked HTC Vision QWERTY slider (pictured above) that's been popping up in the wild lately. We're not so sure what the second phone will be, but we'll get there -- for now we're just stoked that another high-end Android set with a hardware keyboard will be making the scene.

[Thanks, Rod]

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HTC Desire with North American 3G graces FCC with its presence

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 4:20PM

Rumors of a June 8 launch of Telus' HTC Triumph -- a rebranded version of the Desire, seemingly -- came and went without a trace, but now, we've got another reason to think that the model's launch might be just around the corner. Basically, an HTC device with model code PB99220 just got FCC approval with = WCDMA on bands I, II, and V, which would make it fit for use on Bell, Telus, Rogers, and AT&T (plus some European support thrown in for good measure). The original Desire was numbered PB99200 (the Nexus One was in the PB991x0 range), and HTC's shtick is to recycle these codes for different variants of a particular model by changing only the second-to-last digit. We don't have any current intel to suggest this is going anywhere but Telus, but hey -- with AT&T opening up its doors to higher-end Android gear with the Captivate, it could happen, right?

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Element Case, Ivyskin out iPhone 4 cases specifically to deal with reception issues

By Darren Murph

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 3:59PM

Can't find an official iPhone 4 bumper? Driving yourself mad trying to give your new smartphone white glove treatment? Fret not, as a couple of case makers have outed new iPhone 4 clothing that's meant to specifically dodge those naughty reception issues that seem to occur whenever your sweaty palm makes contact with that now infamous metal band. Element Case -- the same folks responsible for the downright lust-worthy Joule stand for iPad -- has just revealed their first iPhone 4 case, the Vapor (shown above). The company claims that its $79.95 enclosure provides an aircraft-grade, CNC'd aluminum frame lined with a shock-absorbent material, the latter of which "addresses iPhone 4 reception issues caused by direct hand to phone cradling." For now, it's up for pre-order (shipments are expected to start next week) in black / black and black / pink, with more colors to become available in the future. As for Ivyskin? It's stepping things up even further by naming its product the "iPhone 4 Reception Case." No need for subtly, we see. Hailed as the "world's thinnest polycarbonate shell" for Apple's latest iDevice, this here sleeve is the one to get if you're look to minimize added bulk and not cover up any of Cupertino's design cues. Best of all, this one retails for just $14.99 and ships with both front and back scratch-free body armors. Crazy that it has come to this, you know?

Element Case Vapor, Formula and Ion + Ivyskin iPhone 4 cases

Element Case, IvySkin

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NTT DoCoMo looks to sell handheld game manufacturers on 3G

By Joseph L. Flatley

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 3:37PM

Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo is apparently in talks with heretofore unnamed manufacturers to get its 3G modules embedded in handheld game consoles. "We are discussing this with various players," said company president Ryuji Yamada. The Wall Street Journal makes an educated guess that Nintendo might be one of the "players" (or "ballers," if you will), which sounds pretty good to us: we know that the upcoming Nintendo 3DS handheld is still being tweaked, and including 3G would be a pretty big deal. We can dream, right? Either that, or move to Mexico City and get a Zeebo (sure, it's not a handheld, but whatever).

Mobile Business Briefing

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T-Mobile-flavored Motorola MB710 gets FCC approval

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 3:16PM

You might remember that we'd thought all the way back in January that T-Mobile's version of the MOTOROI / Milestone XT720 had gotten its FCC certification. Well, guess what happened this week? The all-important external photos and users' manual came off confidentiality, which means we can now confirm that a MOTOROI is exactly what we're looking at here. It's unclear what's taking so long for T-Mobile to get this thing to retail since it was apparently ready (or ready-ish) more than half a year ago, but with an 8 megapixel camera on board, we suspect more than a few people will be willing to forgive the awkward bump in the lower right for a chance to get in on what could be one of T-Mobile's first legit high-end Android devices. With any luck, we'll see a release before too long -- but as with any unannounced phone, it's a crap shoot.

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Updated Verizon Network Extender gets FCC blessing

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 2:38PM

Sprint got FCC approval for an EV-DO-capable version of its Airave femtocell back in April -- and now, it's Verizon's turn. As you might expect, this is the same Samsung-sourced unit that we saw back in January at CES, which was expected to launch in the second quarter. It's a little late for that, but not by much -- and FCC approval is typically a good sign for these sorts of things. Besides the addition of 3G data, the new model should support up to eight simultaneous connections (versus the current model's four). Enough to justify an upgrade for current owners? Probably not, but a nice refresh for anyone on the fence about whether they really need an extra bar or three of signal strength at the home or office.

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Caption Contest: the Queen's RIM visit

By Vlad Savov

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 2:17PM

One does what one must to keep oneself up with the times. Queenie from the British block is still doing her whirlwind tour of Canada, and this latest snapshot shows her on a visit to RIM's production facilities.

Josh: "Which one of these buttons summons Sir Lancelot?"
Vlad: "I was told there'd be crack and berries here, what's this stuff?"
Thomas: "Is that where the little man talks in my ear?"
Chris: "Your Majesty's SAS are receiving these fitted with a taser, oil slick, poison gas, and an impossible-to-use interface that will discourage theft by foreign agents."
Darren: "Don't you dare send me home with a CDMA version!"
Richard Lai: "I don't care what Phillip says -- I'm totally getting this Colorwared. Do you take cash?"
Tim: "Hold on, dearie, I haven't typed enough o's into 'Helllloooooooooooo!'"
Joanna: "I fancy this browser, it's as slow as me."
Joe: "Now I can finally see Fergie's drunken Tweets."
Drita: "Careful now, you're holding it the wrong way!"
Jacob: "Add me on BBM!!!"
Nilay: "I specifically asked for a railroad."

[Thanks, Eddie H.]

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Android 2.2 (Froyo) versus iOS 4: the browser showdown (video)

By Richard Lai

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 1:56PM

Hands-On

A little while back Google boldly claimed that Froyo would have the world's fastest mobile browser, but the lack of final software back then meant we'd had to tie up our itchy hands until now. And boy, it sure looks like it was worth the wait -- Ars Technica's JavaScript benchmarks show that not only is Froyo's browser almost three times faster than its Éclair counterpart, but it also beats iOS 4's Safari by at least two-fold. That said, numbers alone don't always reflect real-life performance -- especially with Froyo supporting iPhone's much-missed Flash -- so we went ahead and conducted our own browser speed test. Read on for our videos and results after the jump.

Update: for those who were concerned about the battery affecting the Nexus One's performance, we did use Android System Info to verify that the CPU was still clocked at 1GHz. We were also able to reproduce the same results with a full battery. Either way, it's still a win for Android.

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Samsung Intercept is up for pre-order, might launch this weekend

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 1:33PM

Sure, the Epic 4G seems awesome -- but that doesn't mean Sprint can (or should) abandon the midrange Android market, right? On that note, the previously-leaked Samsung Intercept is now up for pre-order on Sprint's so-called EVP site for business discount customers where it's selling for $99.99 on a two-year contract after rebate (though we imagine regular customers coming into corporate retail stores might have to pay more than that). Feature-wise, you're looking at a 3.2 megapixel cam with some sort of video capture, slide-out QWERTY keyboard (this is likely a Moment successor, after all), and your choice of Gray Steel or Satin Pink finishes. Word is that we might see an official launch this weekend -- just don't mistake it for an Epic when you see it in the store, alright?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Update: Best Buy accidentally sold one for $100 already, so it's possible this is going to be the asking price for everyone -- and considering the specs, it really shouldn't go for a penny more. Thanks, A Mathur!

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AT&T identifies Alcatel-Lucent as slow upload culprit, fix in the works

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 12:01PM

Breaking News

As we'd suspected, AT&T isn't intentionally limiting upload speeds on iPhone 4s in some markets where things suddenly got slow over the weekend. Or that's the company's claim, anyhow -- and seeing how they're actually calling out a supplier in the process, we tend to buy it. Specifically, AT&T says that some Alcatel-Lucent equipment (which isn't used in all markets) is causing uploads to fall back to non-HSUPA UMTS speeds "under certain conditions" affecting "less than two percent" of the company's customers, and that they're working on developing a fix. "Less than two percent" seems a bit optimistic, but regardless, at least it shouldn't be a permanent condition for anyone. Here's the full statement:

"AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect -- triggered under certain conditions – that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base. While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices."

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Motorola Charm official for T-Mobile: portrait QWERTY Android at long last

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 11:04AM

Breaking News

The rumored Charm has just gotten a proper unveiling from Motorola -- and while it's not getting nearly the media fanfare its Droid X corporate cousin did, it's arguably even more unique. The phone features a full portrait QWERTY keyboard placed directly below a 2.8-inch landscape touchscreen, but for most operations, you don't have to touch it if you don't want to because you've also got a touchpad mounted on the back of the phone (the so-called "Backtrack") much like AT&T's Backflip. Not only is this the first widely-launched Android phone to employ such a form factor, it's also the first to run Android 2.1 with Blur -- and interestingly, they've carried over the old version's general look and feel rather than going with the Droid X's updated skin. It's got a 3 megapixel camera (with Kodak co-branding, something we haven't seen on a Moto in a long time), WiFi, and a noise-canceling second microphone. Pricing and availability haven't been announced, but T-Mobile customers can expect it "this Summer."

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TWC rebadges Sprint Overdrive, offers it as IntelliGo mobile 3G / 4G hotspot

By Darren Murph

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 9:14AM

And then, there were three. Three ways to snag an Overdrive, that is. Months after Sprint issued the original 3G / 4G mobile hotspot, Clear came along and introduced a rebadged version of the same thing. Now, Time Warner Cable (who is also in cahoots with Sprint and Clear) is following suit by tossing its logo on the all-too-familiar device and christening it the IntelliGo. Functionally, it's the same as ever -- there's a built-in battery that'll provide 3G / 4G mobile internet to a smattering (read: five) of nearby devices via WiFi, a microSD slot and USB connectivity. The difference here, though, is that it'll run you $49.99 on a two-year contract, and the fee will "vary by region." Speaking of regions, it'll be available wherever Road Runner Mobile is offered, which means Texas, North Carolina, Hawaii and Kansas City for now.

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Aava Moorestown phone running MeeGo hits the wilds

By Thomas Ricker

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 7:31AM

If you don't understand the significance of what you're looking at then you're probably not paying attention. First off, that Aava slab of WoW slaying smartphone is underpinned by Intel's Moorestown processor. Yes, Intel, not ARM, as Chipzilla gets serious about taking its silicon mobile. Second, that's the freshly minted MeeGo OS for handsets that just made its first alpha appearance last week. And it just happens to be the OS that Nokia, the world's largest handset manufacturer, will be building its future generation of super smartphones upon. We'll give you a second to take it all in.

Fortunately for us, the device is in the hands of Steve "Chippy" Paine over at Carrypad / UMPC Portal. As such, this is just the first of many revelations to come. Hit the man up on Twitter if you want to follow his adventure first hand.

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Sharp's LR388G9 LCD controller suggests more products with dual screens

By Sean Hollister

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 6:47AM

While we'll let competitors tell us whether the chip's "an industry first," Sharp's certainly serious about devices with twin screens -- this new LR388G9 controller chip pumps pixels simultaneously to each of two 1,024 x 480 LCDs. Sure, that resolution may sound pathetic compared to your Cinema Display, but this silicon's intended for the likes of e-readers and phones, where a single image that size is desirable and a pair would be most welcome. Never mind that the chip can send 1080p content at 24fps to an external display, too. Of course, what we really want to see is a nice autostereoscopic smartphone fitted with Sharp's 3D HD camera module. Pretty please?

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Apple's MobileMe iDisk App updated for iPad, redesigned Calendar goes beta

By Thomas Ricker

posted Jul 7th 2010 at 4:08AM

Too lazy to cancel your $99 MobileMe automatic subscription renewal and make the jump to one of the many free alternatives? Don't worry, your lethargy has paid off this morning as Apple introduces its new MobileMe iDisk 1.2 app and a beta version of its new MobileMe Calendar. iDisk is pretty much the same app you know and ignore only now it's optimized for the bigger iPad screen, tweaked to support iOS 4 multitasking, and offers the option to open iDisk documents in compatible apps -- like using iBooks for PDFs for example. The faster loading MobileMe Calendar beta (login to MobileMe to request an invite) features redesigned day, week, and month views; calendar sharing amongst friends, family, and predators (if you like); the ability to publish a calendar to a team or group; and event invitations to anyone holding an email address (me.com or not) with RSVP support and automatic change notifications. Best of all, the Calendar beta uses the CalDAV standard, you know, just like that free Calendar from the company that rhymes with frugal.

MobileMe (Calendar), MobileMe (iDisk)

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Twitter for BlackBerry shakes the beta label

By Chris Ziegler

posted Jul 6th 2010 at 9:56PM

Though RIM's official Twitter client for BlackBerry devices has been slinking around in public beta form for a solid three months now, we understand -- not everyone is okay using software that's rough around the edges. And if anything, that probably applies more to BlackBerry users, many of whom are using their devices to do... you know, really important work-related things. On that note, you might be excited to learn that the company's official Twitter client has gone gold, meaning it's theoretically less likely to crash than any version that's come before it, which means you can go about your high-productivity business without fear that your secret addiction to social networking will bring your Bold 9700 crashing down in a spectacular ball of flame and molten circuitry. Not to say the beta was prone to do that, of course, but you can be extra sure of it now. If you're interested, looks like you should be able to find it in App World right away.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 045 - 07.03.2010

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Posted Jul 2008

1.84
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The amount of electronics thrown away rather than recycled in 2007.

The EPA reports that 82% of electronics disposal in 2007 ended up in the garbage (mostly landfills) rather than a recycling center. (source: EPA, July 2008)

Let the hive mind of Engadget get that for you.

"I am absolutely dying to know what the best product(s) are to maximize and organize power outlets. I have 9 cables at one outlet (big nest of cables). I ran out of space there and had to go to a completely different wall to find 2 more vacancies. That's without actually plugging in everything I would like to. I'm not a fan of having to compromise but when it comes to outlets, I'm being beat! Help me Engadget!"

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