SlingPlayer Mobile v1.2 enables 3G streaming on the iPhone, now ready for download
We knew this was coming, and sure enough, Sling hasn’t kept us waiting for long. Our beloved readers have inundated our tip jar with the news that the 3G-enabled flavor of SlingPlayer Mobile is now live on the App Store, and from what we’re hearing works very well. The placeshifting app will set you back just under $30, but will allow you to finally take your cable, satellite or PVR content on the move with you. We say finally, 3G streaming has been available on other phones for a while now, but good to see AT&T and company see sense and enable the goodness for the iPhone. Get downloading and commenting — how does it compare to sliced bread?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
SlingPlayer Mobile v1.2 enables 3G streaming on the iPhone, now ready for download originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Windows XP patch fiasco gets even crazier, Microsoft now scrambling for solutions
If you ever needed a reason to go Linux, here you go. The noise surrounding this patently obscure Windows XP bug / patch fiasco has just reached a fever pitch, and now we’ve got engineers within Redmond scratching their heads, too. As the story goes, Microsoft recently patched a security hole that took care of an antediluvian DOS vulnerability, and in doing so, some users began to see BSODs and endless reboots. Today, we’ve learned that the patch has been yanked, and Microsoft is suggesting that malware is to blame. But here’s the skinny — the patch simply disturbed the malware, which called a specific kernel code that directs your PC to keel over; in other words, any application that calls that same code could theoretically leave your machine in dire straits. And that, friends, probably explains the software giant’s following quote:
“In our continuing investigation in to the restart issues related to MS10-015 that a limited number of customers are experiencing, we have determined that malware on the system can cause the behavior. We are not yet ruling out other potential causes at this time and are still investigating.“
Rock, meet hard place.
Windows XP patch fiasco gets even crazier, Microsoft now scrambling for solutions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google exhibits Liquid Galaxy installation at TED, we toss back a Dramamine
You know you’ve wondered what Google Earth would look like across a curved, eight-display installation, and now your most stupendous dreams are a reality thanks to Liquid Galaxy. That’s the moniker that’s been given to Jason Holt’s 20 percent project, which he’s just now getting to showcase to the world at the TED conference in San Francisco. Reportedly, eight Linux machines are tied to the process, and he’s able to fly through the digital skies via voice commands and sheer mental strength. Or maybe it’s just voice commands. Head past the break for a cockpit view, but be sure to close one eye if you’re prone to motion sickness.
[Thanks, Camron]
Continue reading Google exhibits Liquid Galaxy installation at TED, we toss back a Dramamine
Google exhibits Liquid Galaxy installation at TED, we toss back a Dramamine originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Square opens public trial for iPhone payment system
Eager to get in on the whole “using your iPhone to pay for stuff” revolution? Too bad your wallet is vehemently disagreeing right now. At any rate, the folks behind the Square iPhone payment system have finally seen fit to open up their solution to the public, but only in the form of a pilot. If you’re interested to be one of the few scratching the impulse-buy-itch with a cellphone dongle, hit that source link to sign up. For the rest of ya, there’s an explanatory video after the break.
Continue reading Square opens public trial for iPhone payment system
Square opens public trial for iPhone payment system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New UI, tweaked hardware in store for TiVo’s March reveal?
We already know all of you have more than a few ideas about what TiVo should or will bring to the table March 2, but an anonymous tipster claiming knowledge of recent developments in the beta program let us know what may be coming. Although it began as simple bug fixes for the Series 3 now an all new user experience is on the way that the company expects to perfect the DVR. The UI is speedy again, rising to the level of the older Series 2 but with new high res, crisp widescreen elements designed to look great on your HDTV. Other fixes that should have the faithful drooling are a capacity meter for add-on drives and Tivo Desktop enhancements including “Sling-esque” features. Naturally, add-ons like Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster and even Facebook lead the app charge with faster and easier program access. No real details on what’s new on the hardware side, but that QWERTY remote seems to be a sure bet, we’ll be counting down the next 19 days until we know for sure.
New UI, tweaked hardware in store for TiVo’s March reveal? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Creative rolls out X-Fi 2 SDK, developers now free to craft games and apps
We’re going way out on a limb here and guessing that Creative’s X-Fi 2 doesn’t exactly have an insane amount of the PMP market share, but for those obsessed with its boyish good looks and world-beating user interface, we’ve got some thrilling news to share. The company has just made public its ADK (Application Development Kit), a Lua-based system where devs are able to “code their own interesting applications and customize the ZEN X-Fi 2.” You’re also able to “create and debug games and applications right from one’s Windows PC,” so any Mac loyalists in the house will have to fire up Boot Camp (or similar) in order to dive in. Hit the source to get your download on, and be sure to drop us a line when your riveting new title is ready for public consumption.
[Thanks, Gavin]
Creative rolls out X-Fi 2 SDK, developers now free to craft games and apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Unearthed Microsoft emails reveal reaction to iTunes launch, make us giddy for MWC
It’s a funny thing, really. iTunes has somehow managed to become the world’s largest seller of music in just seven years, yet it’s easily one of the buggiest, most resource intensive and altogether unlikable pieces of software to ever come from the labs of Cupertino. From Microsoft’s perspective, however, they’re really just interested in the first bit, and in particular, why it wasn’t able to take advantage of the market opportunity in the way Jobs and company did. Groklaw managed to dig up a handful of email chains that were made public after the Comes v. Microsoft antitrust litigation, and the content is nothing short of eye-opening. One particular snippet from Bill Gates was exceptionally juicy, as he noted (in a number of words) that Apple had somehow managed to “get a better licensing deal than anyone else has gotten for music.” Jim Allchin’s terse reply consisted of two statements, one of which was “we were smoked.”
Frankly, this unearthing couldn’t have come at a better time. With Mobile World Congress about to get going in Barcelona, we’re waiting on pins and needles to see what kind of music innovation is being veiled in the purported Windows Mobile 7 introduction. If you’ll recall, we already heard that many elements from the Zune HD interface would be making their way onto the mobile side, and there’s hardly a better time to really give iTunes a run for its money than mid-February 2010. Dig into the links below for more on the 2003 revelation — it’s a hoot, we tell ya.
Unearthed Microsoft emails reveal reaction to iTunes launch, make us giddy for MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Openmoko brings improved keypad / scrolling and math equations to WikiReader
It sort of blows our mind that OpenMoko has managed to sell more than a smattering of its $99 WikiReaders (you know, considering just how limited in scope this thing is), but evidently there’s a huge demand out there for improvements. The company has just rolled out its Spring 2010 update, which adds math equations, fluid scrolling, and enhanced navigation. Reportedly, the latter comes in the form of an improved touchscreen keypad, which is said to make “finding Wikipedia entries easier and faster and makes enjoying one of the largest reference archives known to mankind even better.” We won’t bother pointing out the gross exaggerations in that there comment, but at any rate, existing users can download the update today free of charge. Don’t all hurry over at once and crash the servers, okay?
Openmoko brings improved keypad / scrolling and math equations to WikiReader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Navigon keeps MobileNavigator iPhone app fresh with 3D terrain views, Facebook / Twitter integration
Hey, software engineers of all shapes and sizes — are you keeping an eye on this? Navigon is releasing yet another significant update for its continually improving MobileNavigator iPhone GPS app, and at this point, we reckon these guys and gals should get some sort of medal for pursuing innovation on an existing product rather than leaping to “the next best thing.” The latest refresh adds in three primary features: 3D terrain views, a 3D panorama view ($9.99 extra) and in-app connectivity with Facebook and Twitter. As you’d expect, the latter enables users to broadcast current position, destination and ETA to social media outlets, which should make existing Foursquare addicts overwhelmed with joy. Version 1.5.0 also throws in MyRoutes, which is said to analyze your driving habits, patterns, location and time / day in order to provide “up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each.” Best of all? It’s just $69.99 ($20 less than normal) until February 15th, while the real-time traffic add-on is reduced $5 to $19.99 for the same duration.
Navigon keeps MobileNavigator iPhone app fresh with 3D terrain views, Facebook / Twitter integration originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft investigating disappearing music from Zune Pass
According to a post on the Zune Forums, owners of the Zune Pass are having a bit of trouble accessing the music they’re paying for with their subscription, as first reported by Engadget. In less than two weeks, the thread in question has passed 50 replies as users complain and list what they can no longer access: specific songs, entire albums, or even everything produced by an artist.
The sixth reply in the thread is thankfully one from a Microsoft representative. “Hey all—we’re hearing you! We are investigating your reported missing albums indicated in this post—and will come back to you as soon as we understand why they’re missing,” Michelle A. of the Zune Product Team writes. “It is extremely helpful that you advise the album title and artist names to us, so that we can include them into our investigation.” As a result, the rest of the thread is filled with lists of missing tracks. Apart from the initial response, Microsoft has not posted an explanation of what has gone wrong or how it plans to fix the issue. Customers affected are confused and annoyed as they are constantly seeing errors when trying to play parts of their music collection.
The only way users can still access missing songs is if they previously saved them (Zune Pass subscribers get to choose 10 songs each month to keep). Microsoft’s customer service is pointing to record labels pulling music, but the reports from users suggests there’s no pattern in the content that is being pulled. We will let you know when Microsoft has an explanation and/or a solution to this issue.
Houston-Hull, TX