China Mobile may be the world's largest telco with 655 million subscribers, but it's missing one major ingredient that any top tier carrier needs -- the iPhone. Apple's exclusivity deal with
China Unicom is about to come to an end and China Telecom is going to start selling the 4S next week. Yet, China Mobile, the state owned behemoth, won't be joining the iOS fray officially until it starts shipping with an LTE radio (which we assume will happen next year). Still, according to the company, it has managed to rack up 15 million subscribers using unlocked iPhones on its 2G network. Perhaps most amazing, is that it was only in October that China Mobile announced it had 10 million subscribers using Apple's pride and joy. We can only imagine the
pandemonium that will break out when the world's most popular phone comes to the planet's largest cellular carrier.
China Mobile claims 15 million iPhone subscribers without selling Apple's handset originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In just eight months, Line has gone from a glimmer in Naver's eye to a 20 million member strong VoIP and messaging service. Perhaps most impressively, it's done so with only iPhone and Android apps available. The company is working on PC, Mac and tablet clients, but for now this is a mobile phone-only app. The speed at which its growing is significantly faster than both Facebook and Twitter, a fact the company is immensely proud of -- but, we wouldn't read to much into that.
Naver's Skype competitor Line crosses 20 million mark originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The
Withings Baby Monitor has already been available in the UK for sometime now and recently made a splash over at the
FCC. Now the iOS accessory is finally for sale here in the good ol' US-of-A, for the rather staggering price of $299. That's right, this sensor-packed web cam probably costs more than your handset. Then again, that $20 set of audio-only monitors you picked up at Walmart can't keep you abreast of the temperature and humidity in your child's sleeping quarters or let you watch your newborn sleep with the aid of a night vision mode. You can get the associated WithBaby app for free in the iTunes App Store now. The only question is, whether or not you love your baby enough to spend $300 on an iPhone accessory. We won't judge you either way. Check out the PR after the break.
Continue reading Withings Baby Monitor makes its official, expensive US debut
Withings Baby Monitor makes its official, expensive US debut originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Siri may be the media darling and, admittedly she's the one with the winning personality. But Motorola wants to remind you that Android has a voice control app of its own and argues it's better than its iPhone 4S exclusive competition. In a series of videos, which we've embedded after the break, Moto pits
Voice Actions against Siri on a trio of handsets -- the
Atrix 2,
Photon 4G and Electrify. A faceless taskmaster tells the handset to send a text, pull up driving directions and load a website. In each of the tests, Voice Actions bests the polite lady inside the iPhone and gets crowned the champ. Though, we can't help but think things would have turned out differently if the competition involved finding the meaning of life.
Continue reading Motorola pits Voice Actions against Siri, claims to take the title belt (video)
Motorola pits Voice Actions against Siri, claims to take the title belt (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It's still about two months out, but when the 8-bitty hits shelves it might just become our favorite member of the
iCade family. At the moment the Bluetooth
gamepad is little more than a hand-made prototype with some AA batteries taped to the underside and a sticker printed on the office InkJet slapped on the front. As a production quality controller, though, it should be the perfect handheld button mashers for those of you with a taste for the retro. The boxy, rectangular 8-bitty may be wireless and the final version will likely sport six buttons -- still, you can't help but be whisked back to your days spent blowing into dusty
Contra cartridges and tapping out the
Konami code. We gave the early prototype a quick try and the D-pad and red buttons feel just like their '80s inspiration. Unfortunately they're not quite as responsive yet, but we're figuring there's still some kinks to be worked out before it ships this Spring. The 8-bitty should be launching exclusively with ThinkGeek for between $25 and $30. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break.
Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.Continue reading iCade 8-Bitty hands-on (video)
iCade 8-Bitty hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Alright, zAPPed is no
GameChanger but, where Hasbro's line of iOS-integrated board games falls short in the pun department, it shines in cleverness. The
Game of Life launched just a couple of days ago with a special edition designed to be used with an iPad app, while other classics
Battleship and
Monopoly are scheduled to follow later in the year. All make your iDevice an integral part of the gaming experience and leverage an ingeniously simple solution to boosting the interactivity. Underneath the game pieces are uniquely arranged
capacitive plastic pads that allow the apps to identify what you're holding. Different boats in Battleship have slightly different arrangements of pads underneath that allow the app to tell whether your carrier or destroyer has been sunk.
Monopoly uses the same trick to differentiate player debit cards. When it comes time to make a transaction, you swipe the card across the screen of your iPhone and funds are automatically added or subtracted from your account. Monopoly also adds a few more play options, including a mini game for escaping jail. The Game of Life, of course, lets you spin a virtual wheel, but also customize virtual pegs -- adding hair and accessories where once you were stuck with plain pink or blue ones. Game of Life zAPPed Edition is out now for $25, while Monopoly will land in June, followed by Battleship in September. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.
Continue reading zAPPed board games hands-on
zAPPed board games hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We just came from
Hasbro's off-site
Toy Fair show room and, needless to say, we made them take us straight to the
NERF Lazer Tag installation. The guns are still clearly in the early prototype stages and hand made -- with plenty of hot glue and header pins serving as evidence. Still, they felt solid and the app appears to be coming along nicely. We weren't allowed to take photos or video of the HUD, which is a shame since that's what sets Hasbro's product
apart from
similar toys, but we
can tell you about some of the features.
In the top left of the screen is your life meter, which decreases every time you're shot. You'll know when you've been hit because the display will flash red. The app also beeps letting you know when an opponent has been detected -- alerting you to an opportunity to strike or of approaching danger. In the bottom right hand corner is you weapon selection and ammo remaining. You can reload by pressing in the lever on the front of the weapon. Holding it down opens the weapon selection, which you'll be able to upgrade through achievements and in-app purchases. There's also a pair of triggers in the well. The front engages your shield, which prevents you from being hit, but also stop you from firing on opponents, while the primary trigger fires blasts (complete with laser beam animation and explosions) at your opponents. Check out the gallery below for a few more impressions.
NERF Lazer Tag hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Xappr and
appBlaster are fine weaponizers for your smartphone, provided you don't care to share your violent tendencies with your friends. Thankfully, Hasbro is bridging the gap between new-school AR shooter and that teenage classic -- laser tag. The
NERF Lazer Tag system is getting an update for 2012 that lets you pair your blaster with an iPhone or iPod touch. The top of the plastic guns now sport a slot for your iDevice which, when loaded with the Lazer Tag app, provides you with an augmented HUD view. While you can play against purely virtual opponents, the real fun is in using to track your battles with fleshy foes. The app will display your gear and power level, and update your progress on a global Lazer Tag leaderboard. As you play, new attacks and gear will be unlocked for you to enhance your gaming experience. The app will even actually show your blasts' trajectory, letting you see exactly where you shot your former friend. The 2012 edition of Lazer Tag will hit shelves on August 1st with individual blasters costing $40 and sets of two $70. Check out the PR and a screen shot of the app after the break.
Continue reading Hasbro reinvents Lazer Tag for the smartphone generation, lets you live out your Doom-fueled fantasies
Hasbro reinvents Lazer Tag for the smartphone generation, lets you live out your Doom-fueled fantasies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If the names
Phillip Torrone,
Limor Fried and Collin Cunningham don't ring a bell then you probably need to hand over your geek badge. If, on the other hand, those names immediately make you sit up and pay attention, you maybe excited to hear the trio have just released the first
Adafruit-branded app for iOS. Circuit Playground is a reference app for makers, hackers and tinkerers that helps you decipher resistor and capacitor values; calculate resistance, current or voltage; convert decimal, hexadecimal and binary values; and store PDF data sheets for ICs. The app is $2.99, but it comes with a $3 credit at the Adafruit shop, so it's kinda-sorta free. It's available for iPad and iPhone only, but an Android version is in the works. If you're an impatient Google fan, they suggest you check out ElectroDroid which performs many of the same functions and we can confirm is awesome. Check out the video after the break and hit up the source link to get Circuit Playground now.
Continue reading Adafruit's Circuit Playground app deciphers resistor codes, helps you remember Ohm's Law
Adafruit's Circuit Playground app deciphers resistor codes, helps you remember Ohm's Law originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It's that time folks: time for the quarterly running of the spreadsheets. Today Apple, one the most anticipated of all, is revealing its earnings for the past three months and let's just say things are lookin' pretty good for the Cupertino crew. The company set a new record for quarterly revenue and profit in Q1 of 2012, netting $46.33 billion in total with $13.06 billion earnings -- the latter number representing about half of the company's annual profit. That's nearly twice what Apple announced for the same (at the time record-setting) period
last year -- $26.74 billion and $6 billion, respectively. In total the company shipped 15.4 million iPads, 15.4 million iPods and 5.2 million Macs this quarter. That last number is particularly surprising since it represents a growth of 26 percent over last year, bucking trends that indicated PC growth would remain flat.
Perhaps more importantly, though, the company sold just over 37 million iPhones -- a 128 percent increase over the same quarter last year and greatly exceeding industry estimates. This also moves Apple back into the number one slot, ahead of
Samsung which sold a stunning 35 million units this last quarter. Sales of iPhones and accessories accounted for 24.4 billion of the quarter's revenue. Apple also anticipates to have a strong Q2, though maybe not a record-breaking one, thanks to "some amazing new products in the pipeline." But even if Q2 turns out to be a slow one, Cupertino should be perfectly fine thanks to its $97 billion in cash on hand. Check out the complete PR after the break.
Developing...Continue reading Apple announces Q1 earnings, sets quarterly record with $46.33 billion in revenue
Apple announces Q1 earnings, sets quarterly record with $46.33 billion in revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Xerox and consumer aren't necessarily words that get thrown together a lot, but the company's
Mobile Scanner could actually find a home with some -- provided they're willing part with $250. It's reasonably light-weight (only 22.5 ounces) and it can (almost) instantly beam any document you feed it to an Eye-Fi connected device. It'll survive 300 pages on a single charge and keep your Android phone full of docs. What makes it special is the ability to scan not just JPGs, but PDFs. You can also switch between JPG, black and white PDF or color PDF with just a few taps of a button. It can even create multipage PDFs if you just feed a second document through within five seconds. Around back you'll discover the secret weapon -- an SD card slot populated with an Eye-Fi card that supports PDF creation. Check out the gallery below for a few more impressions.
Xerox Mobile Scanner hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It's a myth that phone cases must choose between form or function. Boostcase, which is currently available for the iPhone 4 and 4S, combines both seamlessly. It's a modular system with a 1900mAh battery pack that doubles the life of your device. And, while it does add some bulk, it has two distinct advantages over similar options like
Mophie's Juice Pack. For one, the battery is removable -- so you only need to make space in your skinny jeans if you know you're going to need it. Additionally, since it's modular, you're able to customize it to your liking. Batteries are available in black or white, while the simple plastic cases are available in a veritable cornucopia of hues. The Boostpack charges through standard micro USB, and can actually charge your iPhone directly -- eliminating the need for that pesky proprietary 30-pin connector. A battery and case package is available for $80, while standalone plastic cases cost #35. We're told the batteries will also be sold individually for between $50 and $60. Check out the hands on gallery below.
Boostcase hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We don't know about you, but we're pretty prone to losing stuff -- everything from our precious phones, to our keys to, occasionally, our fellow bloggers. BiKN is a hardware and software-based solution that allows you to track you loved ones and things using simple 802.15.4 radio tech instead of battery-sucking GPS. The two hardware components that will be shipping later this month are an iPhone case, which connects through the 30-pin connector and tags which you can attach to keys, bags, or the belts of wandering children. You can leash items to you using the free app so that an alarm will sound -- on both ends if the person or item wanders out of a particular range. You can also simply ping them if you've misplaced them. It even simply measures how far away another phone or tag is. And, since it's a two way system with a battery integrated in the case, if you lose your iPhone and the battery is dead you can still find it using one of the tags. A package containing the case and one tag will be available for $100, while a kit with two tags will retail for $120. Additional tags can be purchased in packs of two for $50. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break.
Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Continue reading BiKN for the iPhone hands-on (video)
BiKN for the iPhone hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lets get this out of the way up front -- this is
not a confirmation that Apple is planning to put a quad-core
A6 chip inside its next iPad or iPhone. What it does indicate is that Apple may be testing iOS support for quad-core CPUs.
9to5Mac has dug up images from the latest beta of iOS 5.1 that detail the supported number of cores. In this hidden panel, single-core A4s are referred to as "/cores/core.0" while dual-core A5s are "/cores/core.1." Now a new listing, "/cores/core.3," is popping up which, if you start counting with zero, indicates a CPU packing four cores. This doesn't mean that Apple even has this up and running on test hardware yet, though, merely that software support for quad-core chips is in the works. But, that should be enough to really kick the rumor mill into overdrive.
iOS 5.1 beta indicates Apple may be testing quad-core mobile CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WowWee, the company best known for its endless supply of adorable
robot toys, is kicking off 2012 with something a little more virtual than
visceral. AppGear combines actual physical toys with iOS and Android apps, like the launch title Foam Fighters. Each collectible, action figure or playset is paired with its own free, downloadable app that offers an augmented reality game or virtual way to interact with the toys. The line will be launching in "early" 2012, for between $9.99 and $19.99 depending on the particular toy. Six products will be available at launch, including Alien Jailbreak, Zombie Burbs, and Elite Commander which you can check out in the videos below alongside some incredibly vague PR. And we'll be gunning for WowWee booth when we land in Vegas to get some hands-on time with this lineup of AR-toys.
Continue reading WowWee's AppGear turns toys into smartphone 'appcessories' (video)
WowWee's AppGear turns toys into smartphone 'appcessories' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Well, it's about a month and a half behind its
Android counterpart (and what feels like decades behind the web interface), but the iOS
Google Voice app finally (
finally!) has support for multi-recipient texting. Version 1.4.0.2372 adds few other nice tweaks, including one touch copy and paste on the dialpad and a larger text entry field with a character count but, obviously, the mass texting capabilities here steal the show. So hit up the App Store to update now and start spamming all your friends.
Google Voice for iOS joins the mass texting party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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