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Logitech Harmony Link turns iOS and Android devices into full-fledged remote controls
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Home Entertainment,
Logitech is releasing a new product that will turn users' iPads into Harmony remotes by Halloween. The Logitech Harmony Link is the company's newest Harmony remote product, but it's not a device you hold and manipulate to control your home theater. It's a wireless device that can connect to your iPad, iPhone, or Android smartphone to let it function as a universal remote.
The Harmony Link is a disc-shaped device you place near your home theater to control all your devices. It functions as an infrared blaster, sending remote commands to your HDTV, Blu-ray player, set-top box, or compatible game console. The device itself can send infrared commands, and it comes with an infrared blaster so you can keep it in a cabinet with your other home theater devices and still send commands to your HDTV. It then connects to your Wi-Fi network, and can be controlled by any iOS device or Android smartphone through the Harmony Link app.
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Sprint Nexus S 4G gets big discount alongside Google Wallet launch
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Hot Deals,
Sprint has announced that its Nexus S 4G smartphone will now be $49.99 after rebate, the highlight of the company's Google Wallet launch.
Customers can visit Sprint.com and order the Nexus S 4G for $49.99 with a new two-year contract or upgrade, Sprint said in a press release, after a $50 American Express gift certificate. However, on the Web site Sprint is currently charging new customers $29.99 for the Nexus 4G, and makes no mention of the gift card.
It can be a bit difficult to tell how often a phone like the Nexus S is offered for free; Best Buy has offered the phone for free after rebate on two occasions, most recently in August. Last December, it launched at $199, or $599 unlocked.
We havn't reviewed the Sprint version of the Nexus S 4G, although it uses the same body as T-Mobile's version, which debuted last December. At 4.9 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches and 4.5 ounces, the Nexus S is a black slab phone that's noticeably smaller than the recent round of devices with 4.3-inch displays. The Nexus looks elegant because it uses more rounded corners and a black bezel, rather than cheaper-looking chromed plastic.
Click to continue reading Sprint Nexus S 4G gets big discount alongside Google Wallet launch
Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ set for October or November arrival
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Software,
Last Friday, Google chairman Eric Schmidt slipped that Android 4.0, the next major overhaul to the mobile operating system, will be released in "October or November."
Speaking to Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff at the Dreamforce conference, Schmidt said, "We have a new operating system, internally known as Ice Cream Sandwich for some reason, which is being released in October, November." Scroll down to watch the entire keynote; Schmidt slips at 30:28 mark, as reported by AndroidandMe.com.
Up to now, Google hasn't provided a release date for Ice Cream Sandwich, but perhaps Schmidt thought it was an obvious point given unconfirmed reports of Verizon possibly launching the Droid Prime, the first Android 4.0 device and believed to be the third Google Nexus smartphone, this October.
Click to continue reading Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ set for October or November arrival
Motorola Droid Bionic now available
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds,
Motorola's long-awaited Droid Bionic smartphone is finally here.
The device, Verizon's first dual-core, LTE phone, is available now at Verizon stores and online at verizonwireless.com. It doesn't come cheap, though: the Bionic will set you back $299.99 with a two-year contract.
For a limited time, those who purchase the Lapdock accessory, which essentially turns your smartphone into a 11.6-inch laptop, will get a $100 mail-in rebate when subscribing to the $50, 5GB data plan or higher. That Lapdock, however, is also $300.
Click to continue reading Motorola Droid Bionic now available
Amazon’s Kindle Tablet: Details revealed
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds, Rumors,
MG over at TechCrunch got to spend some time playing with Amazon's upcoming Kindle Tablet, and has reported back with a bunch of impressions that have us excited for what's to come. There are no pictures of the device, as that was a condition of him being able to even experience the new Kindle to begin with, but MG paints a nice picture for us of what we are guessing will be the hottest tablet this holiday season that isn't named "iPad 2." For starters, it's an Android tablet, but Amazon has forked Android and has completely overtaken the UI, so it won't look or feel like the typical Android software. The book reader app is similar to what you'd find on iOS and Android, but this Kindle is more than just books--it brings Amazon's entire ecosystem to your hands. That means you get the books, Amazon Cloud Player for music, Amazon Video on Demand for television and movies, access to the Amazon storefront, etc. It even appears that Amazon will be giving purchasers of the tablet a free subscription to Amazon Prime, which itself costs $79 per year.
Click to continue reading Amazon’s Kindle Tablet: Details revealed
Pogoplug Mobile lets you create your own cloud storage solution
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, PC / Laptop, Storage,
Cloud Engines on Thursday announced Pogoplug Mobile, the first mobile-focused hardware product.
Pogoplug Mobile is a small, black box onto which you can attach a USB drive or SD memory card. Once you do, you can see all the files and media stored on the devices and access them remotely or share them by activating an account at my.pogoplug.com.
Users can stream unlimited amounts of multimedia files—including photos, music, and videos—from their home network to their iPhones and Android-based smartphones, as well as the iPad. Apple iOS users receive the benefit of instant streaming of media libraries. For Android users, Pogoplug Mobile provides a unified streaming and sharing service and enables automatic backup of all multimedia files and other content. Cloud Engines said this was a "kind of iCloud for Android users, but in your home."
Click to continue reading Pogoplug Mobile lets you create your own cloud storage solution
Samsung Galaxy Note 5-inch smartphone, 7.7-Inch Galaxy Tab announced
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds,
Samsung expanded its Galaxy family with the announcement of a 7.7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet, and the Galaxy Note, a smartphone that blurs the tablet-phone line with its sprawling 5-inch screen and bundled stylus for quick memo-taking, or what Samsung terms "free-idea capturing." The Galaxy Note combines a Galaxy Tab tablet with a Galaxy S smartphone and adds the benefits of pen and paper, the company said in a briefing here at IFA.
Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the 6.8-ounce Galaxy Note is .37-inch thick and packs an unspecified dual-core 1.4GHz processor, an 8-megapixel back camera that captures HD video, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 2500-mAH battery. Battery life was not disclosed.
But the most notable aspect of the Galaxy Note—which, again, is a slab-style smartphone, with an earpiece and a microphone, not a tablet—is its big 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED 1,280-by-800 (285ppi) WXGA display. Five inches, Samsung believes, is the perfect size to allow for 24/7 portability and single-handed operation, but still offer a large-enough display that eliminates the need to carry a tablet in addition to your phone. Consumers want to carry a single device when they're on the go, the company said.
Click to continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note 5-inch smartphone, 7.7-Inch Galaxy Tab announced
Samsung Galaxy S II hands-on with Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile models
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Features, Google, Handhelds,
The galaxy has landed. Samsung, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile today announced three Galaxy S II smartphones for the three carriers. We got some time with the AT&T and Sprint models (T-Mobile was playing coy) and even ran some benchmarks.
The Galaxy S II has been Samsung's fastest-selling smartphone so far, with more than five million sold in 85 days, according to Samsung's press release. This model is coming out on fewer carriers than last year's Galaxy S did, with Verizon Wireless the most notable missing piece (Verizon is going with the Nexus Prime.)
But remember, Samsung is the master customizer of phones for carriers; just because a "Galaxy S II" isn't coming out for Verizon (or for Boost, for that matter) doesn't mean another phone won't appear soon with very similar features and a slightly different name on those carriers. The company is just introducing the first three models today.
Just like with the Galaxy S, the three Galaxy S II models are all a little different. The AT&T model looks a lot like the international Galaxy S II to which we gave an Editor's Choice award back in May, although Samsung traded the single home button at the bottom of the phone for the four standard Android action buttons.
Click to continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II hands-on with Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile models
Nexus Prime with Android 4.0 to launch exclusively on Verizon
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
Those waiting on the next big Android Nexus device won't have to wait that much longer, as we've just learned that the Nexus Prime--which will be the first phone to rock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich--will be launching in October exclusively on Verizon Wireless. Of course, we expect the iPhone 5 to also launch in October on AT&T, Verizon, and possible Sprint and T-Mobile as well. Verizon wants to be the only carrier selling both the next-gen iPhone and the next-gen Android smartphone at the same time.
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| BGR
Video: Motorola begins teasing the Droid Bionic
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Videos,
The Droid Bionic is a woman! Motorola on Wednesday released the teaser video, "Rule All Machines," for its upcoming Droid Bionic smartphone.
And like in previous ads, the video personifies the device rather than show any part of the actual phone (see below); the latest Droid incarnation is a black leather-clad assassin with a bit of a Black Widow-meets-Droid logo edge.
No, no details yet on an actual launch date or price. The Droid Bionic is arguably Motorola's most highly anticipated product this year, perhaps because it has been delayed since, well, January. The Bionic was hit with one delay after another, forcing Verizon to release a statement explaining that it was undergoing some design revisions. No price has been announced, but an alleged advertisement pegged the phone at $300.
Click to continue reading Video: Motorola begins teasing the Droid Bionic
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