Nexus One experiencing nationwide data outage? (update: it’s back!)

Well, Happy Friday to you, too! We’ve been inundated with tips from perturbed Nexus One users across the country (and even in Puerto Rico) suggesting that their T-Mobile data coverage is completely out of commission. As you can see above, our own Josh Topolsky is seeing the error in Brooklyn, NY. Some users have reported that their SIM card pulls down data when swapped out of the Nexus One and into another handset, and both T-Mobile and HTC tech support centers have purportedly been slammed. At the moment, no one really seems to know what the issue is, but we have seen some reports from owners that their data is coming down just fine. So, what say you? Let us know what’s going on with your Nexus One in the poll below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: As of 12:54PM ET, it seems that data is back in action for Nexus One users. You should probably try rebooting your phone if it’s not.

Nexus One experiencing nationwide data outage? (update: it’s back!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case

iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Apple iPad: starting at $499

After nearly a decade of rumors and speculation, Apple’s finally unveiled the iPad. It’s a half-inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display, and it’s running a custom 1GHz Apple “A4″ chip developed by the P.A. Semi team, with a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby. It’ll come in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes, and it’s got the expected connectivity: very little. There’s a 30-pin Dock connector, a speaker, a microphone, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi and optional 3G, as well as an accelerometer and a compass. There’s also a keyboard dock, which connects underneath in the portrait orientation, support for up to 1024×768 VGA out and 480p composite out through new dock adapter cables, and a camera attachment kit that lets you import photos from your camera over USB or directly through an SD reader. The device is managed by iTunes, just like the iPhone — you sync everything over to your Mac. As expected, it can run iPhone apps — either pixel-for-pixel in a window, or pixel-doubled fullscreen — but developers can also target the new screen size using the updated iPhone OS SDK, which is available today. The 3G version runs on AT&T and comes with new data plans: 250MB for $14.99 and an unlimited plan for $29.99 a month contract-free. Activations are handled on the iPad, so you can activate and cancel whenever you want. Every iPad is unlocked and comes with a GSM “micro-SIM,” so you can use it abroad, but there aren’t any international deals in place right now — Steve says they’ll be back “this summer” with news on that front.

It starts at $499 for 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model, so the most expensive model (64GB / 3G) is $829. The WiFi-only model will ship in 60 days, and the 3G models will come in 90.

Hey, check out our first hands-on right here, and here’s all our additional coverage:

Live from the Apple ‘latest creation’ event
iPad powered by custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip
iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use
Apple’s iPad keeping Adobe Flash away from your couch
Apple reveals iBookstore and app for the iPad
Apple announces iWork for iPad
Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data
iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case
iPad vs. iPhone… fight!
Apple iPad first hands-on!
iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you?

Continue reading The Apple iPad: starting at $499

The Apple iPad: starting at $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC expands ETF inquiry, fires off letters to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Google

Verizon might be getting picked on for introducing its whopper $350 “advanced device” ETF, but the FCC has decided that it wants answers from everyone on concerns that “there is no standard framework for structuring and applying ETFs throughout the wireless industry.” The commission has sent letters (via fancy certified mail, in case you’re wondering) to all of the other biggies — AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — along with Google, asking a series of questions probing how each carrier’s ETFs are determined and applied. Google gets roped in for its nasty equipment recovery fee, but all of the recipients share a common dubious distinction: the frickin’ FCC — a bureaucracy filled to the brim with lawyers and… well, bureaucrats — can’t figure out terms that everyday customers are expected to understand. Of course, most customers don’t have the distinction of being able to send a certified letter to their carrier probing fees and require a prompt and complete response, so we’re happy to see the feds get to the bottom of this. Sure, ETFs may ultimately prove to be completely justified in their current form considering the expense that carriers put up to subsidize hot hardware, it’s true — but regardless, it’s in everyone’s best interest to make sure they’re spelled out in ways even FCC commissioners (and Engadget editors) can appreciate.

FCC expands ETF inquiry, fires off letters to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Google originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia offering free turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones globally

Man, you thought Garmin and TomTom were in trouble when Google announced its free Navigation service… wait until investors hear Nokia’s news. Reuters is reporting that Nokia will offer free navigation on its smartphones. However, instead of just the US (the current Google limitation sans hacking), Nokia will be demonstrating its reach by offering free turn-by-turn directions in 74 countries in 46 languages — a move that should cover 20 million smartphones globally with maps available in over 180 countries. Damn.

[Thanks, Jussi]

Nokia offering free turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones globally originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Vivaz is official: 8.1 megapixels’ worth of Symbian

We get the impression that Sony Ericsson didn’t intend for this release to go out quite yet, but for what it’s worth, we’ve now got official word that the rumored Kurara is the real deal — and it’ll be known as “Vivaz.” Yes, Vivaz. Okay, now that you’ve had a moment to recover, let’s take a look at the specs: S60 5th Edition (we’re surprised they don’t refer to it as a Symbian build in the release, but whatevs), 8.1 megapixel autofocus cam with image stabilization, face detection, and 720p video capture, FM radio, AGPS, WiFi, TV-out at VGA resolution, and a 3.2-inch WVGA (or 640 x 360… the PR lists both) display. It’ll be available in four colors — Moon Silver, Cosmic Black, Galaxy Blue, and Venus Ruby — when it launches this quarter in both North American and global 3G variants with quadband EDGE. If you can get over the name, you love Symbian, and the Satio isn’t for you, this might be your new objet d’envy for the first few months of the year. Follow the break for a hip-looking Sony Ericsson dude showing off the goods.

Update: And it appears Burson-Marsteller has pulled the release, so yep — it wasn’t supposed to go out yet. Enjoy!

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Vivaz is official: 8.1 megapixels’ worth of Symbian

Sony Ericsson Vivaz is official: 8.1 megapixels’ worth of Symbian originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA Fermi / GF100 architectural details revealed

Fermi hardware might still be two months away, but NVIDIA has done the sage thing and released some tantalizing numbers and architectural details to keep the fanboys chirping in the meantime. The GF100 will signal the end of tiresome rebadging and clock speed massaging, and early adopters will find 512 CUDA cores, 48 ROPs, and a 384-bit GDDR5 memory interface sprawled across three billion transistors. Big changes are also afoot in how the card will do its work, with a reorganization toward a more parallel workflow leading to promises of up to eight times better geometry performance than on the GT200. HardOCP reports that anti-aliasing results have improved “notably,” while the video we’ve got stashed after the break for you shows the GF100 beating the GTX 285 handily in a Far Cry 2 benchmark. Still, the PC Perspective crew expressed some apprehension about the massive die size and how it could impact yields given the still young 40nm production process — a sentiment echoed by other publications who questioned whether NVIDIA would not have been better off trying for a less ambitious, more gaming-oriented board. We should all know that answer soon enough.

Read – AnandTech
Read – Hot Hardware
Read – PC Perspective
Read – HardOCP
Read – Tom’s Hardware

Continue reading NVIDIA Fermi / GF100 architectural details revealed

NVIDIA Fermi / GF100 architectural details revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!)

Turns out that leak we saw of the Jawbone Icon was for real after all, but it was only one of the six designs straight out of Aliph’s oven: (clockwise from top left) The Thinker, The Rogue, The Hero, The Ace, The Catch and — our favorite — The Bombshell. While these are the smallest and lightest Jawbones ever, Aliph has managed to cram in an allegedly improved NoiseAssassin and simultaneous dual-phone linkage, along with an onboard ‘AudioApp’ which vocally broadcasts battery level and caller ID. If you prefer a visual indication, the Icon also does a battery gauge on the iPhone — a first on a non-Apple Bluetooth headset — and apparently “Apple’s aware of this” so a firmware update shouldn’t kill this Palm Pre-style. We’re digging the MyTALK website — currently in beta — where you can pick and install other AudioApps and DialApps (for the multifunction button; e.g. voice dialing, free directory assistance and voice-to-SMS) onto the Icon, and both will be free except for some DialApps which require subscription. Oh, and there are seven earbud sizes plus an earloop to keep everyone happy too. When you’re done with picking, hit the Verizon stores for the initial launch today and pony up $99.99. Press release and video walkthrough of the MyTALK website after the break.

Continue reading Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!)

Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Android version will be called Froyo, says Erick Tseng

Proving once again that those who don’t watch The Engadget Show are always going to be one step behind those who do, our latest star guest Erick Tseng has dropped a dollop of exclusive wisdom on us: Android’s next big iteration will be known as Froyo. That’s short for “frozen yogurt” and fits right in line with the zany naming scheme that has delivered us Cupcakes, Donuts, and Eclairs so far. If you had your money on Flan being next in that alphabetical order, sorry to disappoint. No additional info could be squeezed out of the Google man at present — such as how much further along Froyo will be from Android 2.1 (technically considered part of Eclair) or when we might expect the upgrade — but we’ve got a name and that should be plenty to get us started on another wonderful journey of soothsaying and speculation.

Next Android version will be called Froyo, says Erick Tseng originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogers yanks HTC Dream from shelves for urgent emergency call fix

Some of you Rogers subscribers have probably already taken your carrier up on its offer to upgrade your Dream to a Magic, but if not, pay very close attention here: calling 911 doesn’t work right now without making some changes. Basically, there’s an issue that prevents emergency calls from being completed if location-based services are enabled, which means you’ve got to head into Settings and disable GPS — not an optimal solution by any stretch of the imagination. Rogers and HTC are said to be working on a patch as we speak, but in the meantime, don’t expect to waltz into a Rogers store and pick up one of these bad boys.

Rogers yanks HTC Dream from shelves for urgent emergency call fix originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T messes with plans in wake of Verizon’s moves, slashes unlimited voice pricing

Sprint’s talking about it, but AT&T’s straight-up doing something about Verizon’s plan adjustments this morning with a series of its own tweaks this afternoon. Starting Monday, January 18 (conveniently the same day that Verizon’s changes go live), unlimited talk will run $69.99 on individual plans, a nice little cut of $30 against the $99.99 the carrier charges today; family unlimited, meanwhile, comes in at $119.99. Unlimited talk and text costs another $20 on top of unlimited talk alone — no change from the current add-on pricing. Similarly, unlimited talk plus smartphone data goes for $99.99, meaning that you’re paying $30 for the data package — exactly the same as you’re paying now, so really, this all boils down to a big adjustment in what carriers across the board are charging for voice. The principles of Econ 101 have us believe that voice isn’t as popular as it used to be — we are now sending billions upon billions of texts, after all — and as we ease off the voice infrastructure, it makes sense that these guys would want to upsell everyone into unlimited plans (remember that we’re living in an “all you can eat” kind of nation) while still banking big on precious kilobytes and characters. Well played, AT&T; you too, Verizon. Well played, indeed.

AT&T messes with plans in wake of Verizon’s moves, slashes unlimited voice pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google lowers Nexus One upgrade price to $279, issues $100 refund to early upgraders

Good news, earthlings! Apparently Google’s taken all the complaints about Nexus One upgrade pricing to heart, because it’s giving $100 rebates to current T-Mobile subscribers who paid $379 for the HTC-built handset — and it says it’ll be widening the net and offering upgrades to even more current T-Mo subs, although we still don’t know how that’s determined. That means the new Nexus One pricing tiers break down like this: $529 unlocked, $279 upgrade for (some) current T-Mo subs, and $179 on a new 2-year contract. Handshakes all around. Now, let’s fix up family plan activations and that crazy double ETF, shall we?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Google lowers Nexus One upgrade price to $279, issues $100 refund to early upgraders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Segway Inc. confirms merger with UK-based firm

Continue reading Segway Inc. confirms merger with UK-based firm

Segway Inc. confirms merger with UK-based firm originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N900 gets its second firmware update this week

Don’t get us wrong, enabling the Ovi Store was a pretty sweet add-on in the last update — but the second N900 push in just a single week features a list of fixes and changes that should put smiles on a few owners’ faces, too (and a few devs’ faces, for that matter, while they wait for this payment bug to get patched up). This time around we’ve got full support for Swiss keyboard layouts, better compatibility with 3-branded SIM cards, support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 in the handset’s Mail for Exchange service, and a handful of performance and usability tweaks for Ovi Maps. It’ll be available both over-the-air and via PC download in a phased global rollout over the next day, so keep checking; no need to get all crazy about it if you’ve already installed the first update, though — you’ll be automatically alerted when this one’s ready for you.

Nokia N900 gets its second firmware update this week originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii gets Netflix this Spring, disc required for streaming

Hey humans! So Hastings was telling us the truth after all — the Nintendo Wii will be joining the other two game consoles to stream Netflix starting some time in early Spring. Like the PS3, a special Netflix “instant-streaming” disc will be required for the Wii, and it goes without saying that HD’s out of the question since the Wii itself can’t push above 480p. There’ll be no additional fees beyond Netflix’s usual monthly subscription. Time for a game of Mario Kart to celebrate, no?

Wii gets Netflix this Spring, disc required for streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google to stop censoring Chinese search results, will "review the feasibility" of Chinese business operations

Google’s been taking bad press about Chinese search result filtering for years, and now it looks like the company simply fed up: it’s going to stop filtering Google.cn and it may pull of out the country entirely. The move comes on the heels of coordinated attacks on Gmail, which Google says were aimed at accessing the accounts of prominent human rights activists — and Google also says that it’s not the only company suffering such attacks in China. Only two accounts are said to have been hacked, but many more have apparently been accessed by third parties using malware or phishing schemes to obtain passwords. Google also says that these attacks have forced it to reconsider “the feasibility of our business operations in China,” and that it’s going to take the next few weeks to talk to the Chinese government and figure out a way to operate an unfiltered search engine in a legal way, and if it can’t be done, it’ll close Google.cn and potentially leave China completely. A gutsy move, to be sure — but seriously, Google, what took you so long?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Google to stop censoring Chinese search results, will “review the feasibility” of Chinese business operations originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notion Ink Adam stripped bare and our in-depth video hands-on

You have to have a pretty special product to get two Engadget posts discussing your wares during the maelstrom of CES, but this Adam thing just won’t leave us alone with its Pixel Qi display, Tegra 2 innards and bona fide potential to blow the bloody doors off the homogeneous tablet market. We’ve gone back and grabbed video of the device in direct sunlight and it just kept on impressing us. The screen resolutely refused to be overpowered by the light, whether its backlight was on or off, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg as far as the happy impressions. Come past the break to find out more about buttery smooth 1080p playback (with a handy HDMI out), Notion Ink’s plans for modifying the Android OS, and more on the likely pricing of the device which is set to land in quarter two of 2010. Oh, and yea — we totally ripped it open and photographed the insides. Check that out below.

Continue reading Notion Ink Adam stripped bare and our in-depth video hands-on

Notion Ink Adam stripped bare and our in-depth video hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spring Design announces partnership with Borders, lowers price on Alex reader

Continue reading Spring Design announces partnership with Borders, lowers price on Alex reader

Spring Design announces partnership with Borders, lowers price on Alex reader originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG GW990: first Moorestown smartphone gets official, runs Moblin

Loyal readers will already know all about the LG GW990. A Moorestown device we first showed the world from the floor of CES yesterday. It’s now official, it runs Moblin, and it’s launching in the second half of this year.

In case you missed it the first time around, the GW990 brings Intel’s power sipping Moorestown CPU (compared to its current generation of CPUs), a 4.8-inch panoramic widescreen display, HD Video, 3D gaming, aGPS, WiFi, 1850mAh battery, digital compass, HSPA radio, and 5 megapixel camera. As you can see above, that display splits into 3 vertical panels when held in landscape mode giving you independent control over each. Much to look forward to here. Hands-on as soon as we can get it. Until then, another pic after the break.

Continue reading LG GW990: first Moorestown smartphone gets official, runs Moblin

LG GW990: first Moorestown smartphone gets official, runs Moblin originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel launches AppUp Center app store for Atom-powered devices (updated with hands-on impressions)

We need app stores for everything, right?! Intel thinks so. Chipzilla has finally just launched the Atom app store in beta, which will not only come pre-installed on Atom netbooks from Samsung, ASUS and Acer, but will also be available for download for Windows and Linux. Intel’s been working with over 3,000 devs, but there should be even more apps on the way. So, what are you waiting for? Hit the source link and go download the beta.

Updated: We downloaded the app store to an ASUS Eee PC 1005HA. Hit the break for our impressions.

Continue reading Intel launches AppUp Center app store for Atom-powered devices (updated with hands-on impressions)

Intel launches AppUp Center app store for Atom-powered devices (updated with hands-on impressions) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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