Report: Foxconn spending $210 million on Apple production line

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.

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China Daily is claiming that Foxconn will pump $210 million into building a production line in China's Jiangsu province. Local authorities have stated that the plant in Huai'an city will produce components for Apple, no doubt heralding a raft of rampant speculation as to Cupertino's intentions. The building will occupy 40,000 square meters, produce $1.1 billion worth of gear per year and require 35,800 employees -- more than Nokia and Sony have fired in recent months, combined.

Report: Foxconn spending $210 million on Apple production line originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LaCie’s new 100MB/s NAS is 2big, resists that second scone (video)

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.

LaCie's new 100MB/s NAS is 2big, resists that second scone

Gallic storage outfit LaCie is nonchalantly unveiling its 2big double-bay NAS that's purportedly capable of pumping data around your network at 100MB/s. Designed for small businesses, it'll remind any passers by of HAL or GLaDOS, depending on their age. Sporting a 2GHz processor and the company's NAS OS2, it'll also happily interact with Windows 7 Backup or Time Machine and you can access your files on the go with the company's iOS app. It's available from today, prices starting from $299 (£187 in the UK) with a three year warranty. If you'd like to know more, then we've got a short film and some PR after the jump.

Continue reading LaCie's new 100MB/s NAS is 2big, resists that second scone (video)

LaCie's new 100MB/s NAS is 2big, resists that second scone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 10:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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… It’s… … … … Python Bytes (video)

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.

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When not wearing women's clothing and hanging around in bars, the crew at Engadget towers enjoys nothing better than chomping down on an albatross while watching Monty Python. Heuristic Media has released Python Bytes, the first of six apps that bring together the best clips from each of the four series, Holy Grail and Life of Brian*. You'll be able to watch (say no more, nudge, nudge) the back-story of each sketch and you'll even be able to create your own personalized playlists. It's available right now, costing £1.99 / $2.99. Now, let's all get back to learning how to identify trees from quite a long way away: there's an instructional video after the break.

*All of which are also available unabridged from iTunes.

Continue reading ... It's... ... ... ... Python Bytes (video)

... It's... ... ... ... Python Bytes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nano-SIM standard vote postponed while RIM accuses Apple of cheating

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
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French newspaper Les Échos is reporting that the key ETSI vote to determine whose nano-SIM patent should become the standard has been postponed. The participating companies have failed to reach agreement after Nokia refused to license key patents to Apple in exchange for free use of Apple's technology. As a consequence, the vote will be postponed for a minimum of thirty days.

Meanwhile, RIM has followed Émile Zola's example and screamed J'Accuse! at Apple, claiming that Cupertino is trying to rig ETSI's decision by registering its own personnel as representatives from Bell Mobility, SK Telekom and KT Corp. The BlackBerry maker has petitioned the standards agency to ensure that proxy voting is not allowed in the key vote and blunt Apple's alleged plan. You can read the full text of the claim after the break.

Continue reading Nano-SIM standard vote postponed while RIM accuses Apple of cheating

Nano-SIM standard vote postponed while RIM accuses Apple of cheating originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insert Coin: Galileo, the remote control camera from the men behind the Gorillapod

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.
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FaceTime conversations always commence with "left a bit, no, up a bit, no no, that's too far..." as we balance our iOS handsets to find a flattering angle. Gorillapod designers Josh Guyot and JoeBen Bevirt want to put an end to it with Galileo, a 360 degree motorized remote-control base for your iPhone or iPod Touch. If your buddy moves out of frame, just swipe in their direction and it'll pan around to follow. Designed as a video conferencing tool, it would also be useful as a baby monitor, remote camera or for clever photography projects. You'll also find a universal 1/4" tripod mount screw, rechargeable lithium polymer battery and it'll double as a dock when not in use. The project has currently reached $10,093 of its $100,000 goal, with the pre-order price of one of the units pegged at $85. If you'd care to see it in action, we'd suggest taking a trip downtown past the break.

[Thanks, Max]

Continue reading Insert Coin: Galileo, the remote control camera from the men behind the Gorillapod

Insert Coin: Galileo, the remote control camera from the men behind the Gorillapod originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Sir Jonathan Ive: our competitors have ‘completely the wrong goals’

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
London's favorite only remaining evening free-sheet has snagged an interview with Apple design maven Sir Jonathan Ive. In the piece he talks about being thrilled and humbled by his recent Knighthood, the importance of his London upbringing and why Apple's competitors can't win. Pointing to a desire not to make "genuinely better" products, Cupertino's unnamed rivals instead are "interested in doing something different, or want to appear new," which he says is the wrong goal. The difference is that he and his team aren't tied to a price, a schedule or a marketing scheme -- which he believes "have scant regard for people who use the product." There's also a barbed reference to consumers being able to sense "great care in the design and when there is cynicism and greed" in products on the market. Head on down to the source link to read more, including his frustration with designers who "wag their tails in his face" -- who knew designers had tails, eh?

Apple's Sir Jonathan Ive: our competitors have 'completely the wrong goals' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint reveals it spent $15.5 billion to fuel its iPhone hunger

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Sprint's SEC filings have revealed that the carrier has committed to purchasing $15.5 billion worth of iPhones as part of the long-promised $20 billion gamble. If each handset costs around $630 at trade, then we're talking about the network holding nearly 24 million units. Given that the company most recently ate a loss of $1.3 billion, most of which was caused by carrier subsidies for the 4S, there's a genuine fear that the company won't be able to make enough back on each customer to offset the initial outlay. Given the Baller-style purchasing decisions of Dan Hesse of late, we'll be watching how this unfolds with great interest and our fingers very firmly crossed.

Sprint reveals it spent $15.5 billion to fuel its iPhone hunger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Office for iOS gets blurrycam treatment in weird party-room

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
What you see before you is a single image purporting to be Microsoft's new Office app for iOS. We can certainly believe such an app exists, and according to The Daily, the UI is similar to OneNote with an added dash of Metro. You'll be able to produce and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files locally and online, but the app is still to run the Cupertino's approval gauntlet. The report also claims an Android version is isn't in the works and but that a Metro-styled refresh of OneNote is due in "the coming weeks." That said, we're not sure what sort of place doesn't take the plastic off its carpets, leaves big "product of Spain" crates lying around with leopard-print plushies and USS Enterprise logos hanging on the wall -- but perhaps we've underestimated Redmond's capacity for a good party.

Update: We incorrectly reported that an Android version was forthcoming, we've edited to correct our mistake -- please accept our sincere apologies.

Microsoft Office for iOS gets blurrycam treatment in weird party-room originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW My Remote app arrives in the US, 3-Series with stinger missiles due soon

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
BMW's My Remote iOS app has been available here in Europe for a while. Reenacting the car park chase from Tomorrow Never Dies is one of the principal ways to let off steam on a weekend. Sadly, the company has brought our exclusive fun to an end by releasing the app in the USA -- albeit without the weaponized vehicles from the movie. Once installed on an iPhone, you'll get remote locking, horn and headlights as well as a positioning app so you never get lost in a parking lot. The age and model of your Beemer will decide what features you'll be able to use (full details after the break) but remember Bond: you have a license to kill, not to violate the traffic laws.

[Thanks, Mark]

Continue reading BMW My Remote app arrives in the US, 3-Series with stinger missiles due soon

BMW My Remote app arrives in the US, 3-Series with stinger missiles due soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canalys: More smartphones than PCs shipped in 2011

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
2011: the year Smartphones supplanted computers, at least according to the bundle of spreadsheets that just arrived from Canalys Research. Vendors shipped (shipped, not sold) 488 million of the devices, compared to 414.6 million "PCs," which erroneously includes Tablet PCs of all shapes and sizes. Looking at Smartphones exclusively (IDC's numbers from yesterday concerned all mobile handsets), Apple remains king of the hill having shipped 93.1million iPhones. Samsung is close behind, with 91.9 million and Nokia is kicking along in third with 19.6 million. For all of the doomsaying around RIM, it's nestled in fourth, although Canalys chose not to include its numbers. Framing the research as "PCs versus Smartphones" isn't the wisest, given the fragmentation and hybridization prevalent in the market today. Drilling down into those numbers, we learn that 63.2 million tablets were pushed out last year, cannibalizing netbook shipments (dropping 34.5 percent in a year), but desktop and laptop movements remained relatively stable. We've included the full report and the most relevant table of data for your perusal and insight (hint: there's no points for saying netbooks are on the way out).

Continue reading Canalys: More smartphones than PCs shipped in 2011

Canalys: More smartphones than PCs shipped in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IDC: Nokia, Samsung, Apple are the new top 3 handset makers

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
The latest figures are in from IDC: the top three global smartphone makers are Nokia, Samsung and Apple, in that order. Drilling down into the figures finds some surprises: Cupertino's third-place with only 8.7 percent of the market, while the giants of Korea and Finland are duking it out with 22.8 percent and 26.6 respectively. LG and ZTE are tied for fourth, but that's hardly good news for Goldstar, given that it's lost a staggering 42.2 percent of its market share in the last twelve months (Nokia was the other loser, eating 8.2 percent). The cause for the drop is in part the world's rejection of feature-phones (dropped faster than fashionistas rightly abandoned Ugg Boots and Jeggings) as millions upgraded to smartphones. After the break we've got the tables in full for anyone who wants to have their mind blown at the sheer quantity of handsets shipped in the last year, both financial and calendar.

Continue reading IDC: Nokia, Samsung, Apple are the new top 3 handset makers

IDC: Nokia, Samsung, Apple are the new top 3 handset makers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Screen Grabs: Big Bang Theory’s Raj falls head over heels… for Siri (video)

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

Finally! A TV show that we've actually seen (sorry, Gossip Girl). The Big Bang Theory's most recent episode featured Raj finding love with Siri. The uptight astrophysicist is incapable of speaking to women unless he's been on the sauce, but finds no such social inhibition with his iPhone's virtual assistant. Of course, like any geek receiving attention from the opposite gender, Dr Koothrappali soon becomes unhealthily infatuated with the handset, leading him on a trip to Cupertino to meet the person behind the microphone symbol. We won't spoil what happens, but you can probably work it out -- there's video past the break.

Continue reading Screen Grabs: Big Bang Theory's Raj falls head over heels... for Siri (video)

Screen Grabs: Big Bang Theory's Raj falls head over heels... for Siri (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Green Charge: an app that helps your EV talk to you (video)

Posted on by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
an app that helps your EV talk to you (video)
The maker of PlugShare is determined to satisfy your EV needs with a new app that'll feed the data from your Leaf or Volt straight to your iOS device. GreenCharge monitors your battery data, charging speed, efficiency of recent journeys and environmental impact and keeps it to hand in handy graphical form. You can chart your price-per-mile (compared to using petrol) and monitor your environmental impact -- sending all this data to your friends over Facebook or Twitter. If you're considering dropping some cash on an EV but don't trust the salesman, sync it up to a demonstration vehicle and it'll give you the deep dish without any fluff. You'll be able to pick it up from the App store today for $10 (equal to three days gas, but then you did just save $1,000 on your new Volt) and if you're not convinced, we've got a cornucopia of treats to whet your appetite after the break.

Continue reading Green Charge: an app that helps your EV talk to you (video)

Green Charge: an app that helps your EV talk to you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epson’s iProjection wireless projection app: wireless projection using an app

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Facetious headlines aside, Epson's produced iProjection: an app that lets you display those awkward holiday snaps on any wirelessly connected (Epson branded) projectors from your iOS device. All you need is to make sure your iPod/Pad/Phone is on the same network as the projector, launch the app and make sure the first thing on show isn't that candid shot of you on a beach. You'll be able to pull PDF, JPEG and PNG image files from your handheld, Dropbox and Gmail from the cloud and via Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Keynote files from the desktop. It's available today for free from the App store (you can assume the projectors will require actual cash) and after the break you'll find a press release cooling on the window.

Continue reading Epson's iProjection wireless projection app: wireless projection using an app

Epson's iProjection wireless projection app: wireless projection using an app originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
If you swing past your local Best Buy and pick up one of those new-fangled LG Smart TVs, you'll find TouchTV's news-clip collection platform available inside. That way you'll be able to watch the trendiest (or at least the most watched) current-affairs clips without having to wait the twenty seconds or so before your rolling news channel of choice displays similar. TouchTV also announced today an iPad app that'll let you grab those newsy clips from your Apple-based slate of choice. The app's available gratis from the store (link below) and we've got the official words and pictures from the company about both products after the interval.

Jose Andrade contributed to this report.

Continue reading TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go

TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matias Tactile One, SlimOne hands-on (video)

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
We already covered the announcement of the new Matias tactile-keyboards but couldn't resist descending into the show floor in order to get a quick hands-on with the Canadian-made kit. The USB-powered boards contain a Bluetooth module and a physical button (with a blue LED) that you can switch between typing on your desktop and wirelessly to your device. The "Island-Style" SlimOne replicates the look and feel of the current Apple island-keyboard, but with scissor keys, which pleasantly resist your fingers. The '90s style Tactile One forces your hands to readjust back two-decades, but the mechanical board was a joy to use, with no lag between typing and it appearing on a compatible phone. After the break we've got a short video where we learn that retro keyboards can send people into such a frenzy that they forget to type the word "movie" correctly.

Gallery: Matias Tactile One hands-on

Matias Tactile One Hands-On

Sean Buckley contributed to this report.

Continue reading Matias Tactile One, SlimOne hands-on (video)

Matias Tactile One, SlimOne hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matias One: hammer out an iPhone masterpiece on the best keyboard of the ’90s

Posted on by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Between touch-screens and rubber-backed keyboards, we're getting further away from the tactile, mechanical keyboards we grew up with -- except for gamers, who have embraced mechanical keyboards for the improved response times and, of course, the great noise they make. Canadian peripherals maker Matias is adding to its line of Apple Extended Keyboard-inspired typing-decks with the Tactile One: with Bluetooth iPhone control. Imagine how fast (and how noisily) you'd be able to hammer out a text message on one of these things, because it's all we can do right now. A Mac / PC edition will be available in April for $200 and you can pre-order it from the store right now. There's PR after the break, if you really need some clicky-clacky convincing.

Continue reading Matias One: hammer out an iPhone masterpiece on the best keyboard of the '90s

Matias One: hammer out an iPhone masterpiece on the best keyboard of the '90s originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crapgadget CES 2012, round two: Mugtuk’s child-scaring hugging iPhone case

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Kids love iPhones, which is always a panic when you hand a volatile infant a $650 smartphone. That's why Mugtuk have produced this pleasant way to terrify your children into never wanting to touch your phone ever again.

Crapgadget CES 2012, round two: Mugtuk's child-scaring hugging iPhone case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iHealth’s 2012 lineup revealed at CES

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
iHealth produce body monitoring devices that help you stay in tip-top condition and is building out a line of devices for this year that will arrive just as soon as it's gotten past the hurdle of FDA approval:
  • Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor is a wireless update to the (wired) Blood Pressure Dock, the armband pushing your vitals over Bluetooth to an app on the device of your choice.
  • Smart GlucoMeter connects to your iDevice's 30-pin port and once you've installed the free app, you'll be able to stick smears of blood onto cardboard paddles in order to see how many Mike'n'Ike's you've been snacking on.
  • Wireless Body Fat Scale will record your weight and measure your body fat to your device (and eternal shame once you've polished off all that candy).
There's no word on pricing, but for reference, last year's digital scale retailed for $70 and the Blood Press Dock for $100, so we'd expect the followups to linger around those same bands. All of these products will also connect (via their apps) to a new cloud service that the company's launching to aggregate all that data into a single spreadsheet for the next time you need to negotiate your fee with your HMO.

Gallery: iHealth Hands-On at CES 2012


Dana Murph contributed to this report.

iHealth's 2012 lineup revealed at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android-style FaceUnlock ported to iOS (video)

Posted on by Daniel Cooper.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Just because it's CES doesn't mean that other amazing innovations aren't going on elsewhere. We've spotted this video of an app being built (from scratch) for iOS that duplicates the FaceUnlock technology we know and love on Android 4.0. Simply stick your face in view of the camera and it'll start identifying your fizzog -- with live detection and rejection all demoed in the clip we've got after the break. From the video, it's promised to make a trip to the App Store soon, hopefully without earning the ire of the retail guardians of Cupertino.

Continue reading Android-style FaceUnlock ported to iOS (video)

Android-style FaceUnlock ported to iOS (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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