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11/03/11--06:32: Google Offers app goes live in Android Market (chan 1317236)



Detest checking your email constantly for the latest offer from Google? If you've got an Android 2.1+ device, the Goog itself just outed an alternative. The Google Offers app just went live in the Android Market, bringing deals near your current (select) location into an easy-to-digest piece of mobile software. No, NFC's not required, and yes, you can redeem it straight from the phone -- so long as the store you're visiting has someone with intellect and eyes. Hit the source link (or the Market on your handset) to get your download on, and feel free to chuckle as you realize that it'll remain up way longer than Gmail did for iOS.

Google Offers app goes live in Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/03/11--14:40: B&N launching Nook Tablet for $249 on November 16th, and we've got the dirty details (chan 1317236)



Sitting down? Good. Come November 16th, Amazon's Kindle Fire will have company. We've wrapped our paws around a stash of documents confirming the impending launch of the first bona fide tablet in the Nook line, and lo and behold, the Nook Tablet will end up being a dead-ringer for the Nook Color that already exists. What we're looking at is a 7-inch VividView IPS color touchpanel with a 1024 x 600 screen resolution (that's 169 pixels per inch), a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4 processor, 1GB of RAM, dimensions of 8.1- x 5- x 0.48-inches, 16GB of inbuilt storage, a microSD expansion slot, roughly eight hours of battery life with WiFi switched off (that sinks to four hours with videos playing back), 802.11b/g/n WiFi and support for a smorgasbord of file formats including ePUB, PDF, XLS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, Flash, JPG, MP3, MP4 and AAC.






Nook Color review

B&N cutting Nook Color price to $199, adding Hulu Plus and more streaming music

Nook Simple Touch seeing price drop to $99, touts 'no annoying ads'

What's looney is just how similar this thing is to the Nook Color, even in functionality; in fact, B&N simply says that it offers "everything the Nook Color [does] + the best in HD entertainment." We've also confirmed that it'll ship for $249 here in the States -- a full $50 more than Amazon's Kindle Fire. So, why does B&N think you'll pony up the extra? For one, the Nook Tablet has twice the RAM and twice the storage compared to its closest rival, while also being lighter and having access to over two million books, magazines and newspapers. So, what say you? You'll be able to pre-order your own on November 7th, and for those still dubious, in-store demonstrations will begin on the 15th.

Gallery: B&N Nook Tablet leak



B&N launching Nook Tablet for $249 on November 16th, and we've got the dirty details originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/03/11--14:55: B&N cutting Nook Color price to $199, adding Hulu Plus and more streaming music (chan 1317236)



So, if the looming Nook Tablet's retailing for $249, what's that mean for the Nook Color? A price drop, naturally. Based on leaked slides that we've received, the Nook Color will be dropping to $199 by November 16th, but the $50 price savings ain't all that B&N's throwing your way. The Nook Color v1.4 update will bring along some pretty intense extras, including the addition of Hulu Plus, "millions of songs" from services like Rhapsody, Grooveshark, Pandora and MOG and a litany of new tailored apps (with Scrabble called out in particular). Decisions, decisions...

B&N cutting Nook Color price to $199, adding Hulu Plus and more streaming music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/03/11--14:59: Nook Simple Touch seeing price drop to $99, touts 'no annoying ads' (chan 1317236)



Who says a friendly jab is unwarranted? A leaked Barnes & Noble's slide that slipped into our hands has confirmed that the touch-enabled Nook (now formally know as the Nook Simple Touch) will fall from $139 to $99 as early as November 16th, bringing with it a v1.1 software update that's largely unheralded for now. In the paperwork, B&N claims that this guy offers "25 percent faster page turns than any other e-reader, a two-month battery life built-in WiFi, and no annoying ads." Man, Amazon. Are you really going to sit back and take that?

Gallery: Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch leak



Nook Simple Touch seeing price drop to $99, touts 'no annoying ads' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/04/11--07:24: Kinect for Windows SDK beta 2 out now, celebratory celebrations cleared to commence (chan 1317236)

It's only been a few months, but already the Kinect for Windows SDK beta is moving from stage uno to stage dos. (That's one and two, vaqueros.) Microsoft's outing it in commemoration of the Kinect's one-year anniversary, and it's also launching a Kinect for Windows site and blog, too. We're told that the Kinect for Windows commercial program is still on track for an early 2012 launch, and to date, some 200 companies have agreed to take part in the pilot program. Ask for the beta 2 piece, the refreshed build includes "faster skeletal tracking, a better accuracy rate when it comes to skeletal tracking and joint recognition, and the ability to plug and unplug your Kinect without losing work / productivity." Hit the source links to get your download on, but be warned -- we've seen it off and on throughout the day.

Update: Just in case you need even more info on the movement, the official KinectforWindows.org website is now live too.

Kinect for Windows SDK beta 2 out now, celebratory celebrations cleared to commence originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/04/11--08:07: TWCable TV app in development for Android, should drop before the season's first 3-pointer (updated) (chan 1317236)



It was but a few months ago that we realized an updated TWCable TV iPad app was under development, and this go 'round, the cable giant has figured it best to just go ahead and confess rather than wait for any leaks to do it for 'em. In other words, a TWCable TV app for Android tablets is in production, and amazingly, it might be out before anyone realizes that there's no NBA season to speak of. According to the company, it could be released as early as November, and it'll most certainly eventually deliver "a live streaming TV experience." In the first build, it'll also include an interactive program guide, a remote control function for set-top boxes and a DVR manager for remote programming. Support for live TV streaming is on the way in 2012, at some point after Ice Cream Sandwich starts hitting tablets -- we couldn't confirm whether that's completely due to Android 4.0's enhanced DRM underpinnings but it seems likely. Really screws up your New Year's Resolution to drop cable, huh?

TWCable TV app in development for Android, should drop before the season's first 3-pointer (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/04/11--09:00: Growing up Geek: Sascha Segan (chan 1317236)

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have the lead analyst for mobile at PCMAG, Sascha Segan.





When I turned eight in 1982, we moved house, I starred on a game show and we got an Atari 800. The modem came a year later, free with the 850 serial interface. I needed it so I could print homework on my new Epson FX-80 printer.

The 830 acoustic modem had two rubber cups: you'd dial your number on a rotary-dial phone, listen for the "whee-ooo!" of the modem and slam it down into the cups, hushing everyone around you because too much noise could break the connection. One favorite game was to try to talk to the modem, figuring out which pattern of your own "whee-ooo"s would create something that looked like words. 300 baud was just about as fast as I could read.

Continue reading Growing up Geek: Sascha Segan

Growing up Geek: Sascha Segan originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/04/11--10:12: Acer's Iconia Tab A200 Honeycomb tablet emerges at Bluetooth SIG (chan 1317236)

Who's amped about another Honeycomb tablet? Go on, we'll wait for the hands to rise. All jesting aside, Acer's presumably forthcoming Iconia Tab A200 has just surfaced over at the Bluetooth SIG, where a filing has proved that a) Acer's new Honeycomb tablet will look pretty much like every other Honeycomb tablet we've seen, and b) it'll have Bluetooth and WiFi. Sadly, the rest of the details are still under wraps, but you can bet we'll be bringing 'em to you as soon as we hear more.

Acer's Iconia Tab A200 Honeycomb tablet emerges at Bluetooth SIG originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/04/11--10:45: Ona Camps Bay DSLR / laptop backpack review (chan 1317236)



Look, when it comes to hunting down a pack for your gadget collection, you've got options. Plenty of options. But not too many options like this. Ona -- a high-end purveyor of handcrafted camera bags -- first caught our eye last year with the markedly functional Union Street, but at the time, we felt that there was an even bigger gap in this universe that could only be filled with a like-minded backpack. So, here it is. The Camps Bay is the outfit's first full-on, back-worn pack designed to carry both a laptop (up to 17-inches, no less), a DSLR and a plethora of lenses and accessories.

Gallery: Ona Camps Bay DSLR / laptop backpack hands-on




In fact, this here bag holds a downright astonishing amount of kit, while looking decidedly unlike every other backpack that you've ever laid eyes on. For quite some time, Kata's brilliantly constructed 3N1-33 (review) was our go-to multi-mode bag; it's largely a perfect combination of laptop sack and camera organizer. But we always found ourselves hung up on a couple of issues. For one, it wasn't capable of swallowing 17-inch multimedia rigs. Secondly, shoving a full-frame body in there (Nikon's D3S comes to mind) isn't exactly easy when you're also toting a 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 -- two (huge) hunks of glass that any self-respecting pro almost certainly has access to. Read on for more of our thoughts.

Continue reading Ona Camps Bay DSLR / laptop backpack review

Ona Camps Bay DSLR / laptop backpack review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/04/11--13:49: HBO Go now available on Roku boxes, HBO subscription still required to take advantage (chan 1317236)



Not a bad turnaround time, we have to say. Nary a month after revealing that HBO Go streaming would soon be pushed to Roku boxes around the known universe... HBO Go streaming has been pushed to Roku boxes around the known universe. As of now, Roku addicts can tap into unlimited access to over 1,400 HBO programs (that's movies, original series, sports, comedy, etc.), with one mondo stipulation: you have to be an HBO subscriber via some pay-TV company. Of course, HBO Go can also be accessed via your laptop, and you've probably got some form of HBO on-demand already, but look -- this is better. This is comprehensive. Use it, and don't ask questions. Capiche?

HBO Go now available on Roku boxes, HBO subscription still required to take advantage originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/05/11--09:03: Best Buy whacks $50 from Nook Color's price tag (chan 1317236)



Waiting for Monday to hear about the inevitable? Don't. If you're looking to snap up a Nook Color (review) following the impending price drop -- you know, now that the Nook Tablet is about to replace it on the company's hardware pedestal -- Best Buy would like you to know that it's dropping the price of said product already. What's still listed at $249 at B&N's own site is $199 in the source link below. Celebrate accordingly.

Best Buy whacks $50 from Nook Color's price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/05/11--16:49: Columbia's line of electric Omni-Heat jackets, gloves and boots on sale, just in time for Old Man Winter (chan 1317236)



It took 'em a bit longer than expected, but Columbia's still pushing out its complete line of Omni-Heat electric (and in turn, heated) jackets before the holidays. In fact, a few more of these guys have cropped up since we reviewed the (admittedly excellent) Circuit Breaker back in March, including the Electro Amp, Wader Widgeon and Big Game Interchange. As you could probably glean from the titles, the latter two are camouflaged, making them both a) invisible to the human eye and b) totally fit for hunters. Those four are available for gentlemen with between $750 and $1,200 to spare, while the ladies can opt for the electric Hottie ($750) or Circuit Breaker softshell ($850). A full line of Omni-Heat gloves and boots are also shipping now, with the source links below pointing you directly to the shopping houses you're after. Have a look at what you're missing just after the break.

Continue reading Columbia's line of electric Omni-Heat jackets, gloves and boots on sale, just in time for Old Man Winter

Columbia's line of electric Omni-Heat jackets, gloves and boots on sale, just in time for Old Man Winter originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/05/11--19:35: Ask Engadget: what's the best sub-$1,000 HTIB setup? (chan 1317236)



We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Dave, who just so happens to be in the midst of a new PC build. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.


"Hey all! What is the best 'home theater in a box,' with connectivity for my component-out Wii, HDMI-out media box and optical-out TV? Room for plenty of future additions would be awesome. Wireless would be a plus, and of course, it needs to have at least respectable sound quality. Thanks!"

So, HTIB junkies -- what's the box rocking your socks at the moment? Drop your best advice in comments below!

Ask Engadget: what's the best sub-$1,000 HTIB setup? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/06/11--18:36: How would you change Olympus' PEN E-PL3 and E-P3? (chan 1317236)



Canon's been focused solely on the top-end of things here recently, but it's obvious that the mirrorless and Micro Four Thirds markets are booming. Cute sells, right? And if you've taken the plunge on either of Olympus' newest PENs (that'd be the E-PL3 or E-P3), we're interested in knowing how you really feel about 'em. Would you have preferred a slightly larger casing? Still want it smaller? Cool with the kit lens? Any quibbles with the exterior? The UI? The company's made quite clear that the PEN line ain't going anywhere anytime soon, so speak up in comments below, won't you?

How would you change Olympus' PEN E-PL3 and E-P3? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/08/11--05:59: Consumer Reports finds iPhone 4S to have worthwhile antennas, says newer iPhone 4 is still problematic (chan 1317236)



"Consumer Reports recommends the iPhone 4S." It's only half a dozen words, but to the engineers (and marketers) at Apple, it spells "relief." After being profusely impacted by Consumer Reports' decision to recommend against buying the iPhone 4 due to those Antennagate issues, the entity has allowed all in Cupertino to breath a sigh of relief by effectively declaring the reception issue dead on the newest edition. To quote:


"Apple's newest smart phone performed very well in our tests, and while it closely resembles the iPhone 4 in appearance, it doesn't suffer the reception problem we found in its predecessor in special tests in our labs. In special reception tests of the iPhone 4S that duplicated those we did on the iPhone 4, the newer phone did not display the same reception flaw, which involves a loss of signal strength when you touch a spot on the phone's lower left side while you're in an area with a weak signal. (The iPhone 4, which is still available, continues to exhibit that problem, we confirmed in tests of new samples of the phone. Because of the flaw, we continue to omit the iPhone 4 from our list of recommended models, despite its otherwise fine performance.)"

In other words, even the newer samples of the iPhone 4 (perhaps even that one for Sprint?) continue to have antenna quirks, but at least the latest and greatest seems to have addressed 'em. Hit the source link for the full report.

Consumer Reports finds iPhone 4S to have worthwhile antennas, says newer iPhone 4 is still problematic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/08/11--07:33: Synaptics shows conceptual trackpad interface with Windows 8, better make it a reality (video) (chan 1317236)

It's pretty obvious from Microsoft's outing of Windows 8 that touch is going to be a real focal point, but on machines that lack a touchscreen, it'll be the trackpad pulling weight. Synaptics, a famed touchpad maker, has just outed a new concept video demonstrating how its products will eventually -- in theory, anyway -- interact with Microsoft's forthcoming desktop OS. We've made no bones about the fact that most Windows-based laptops could use a serious lesson in trackpad awesomeness, and while there's no way to know for sure that the latest Series 7 ClearPad and ClickPad solutions will feel like they need to, the video hosted up after the break sure gives us reason to be optimistic.

Continue reading Synaptics shows conceptual trackpad interface with Windows 8, better make it a reality (video)

Synaptics shows conceptual trackpad interface with Windows 8, better make it a reality (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/09/11--09:21: Samsung Epic 4G Gingerbread update is now rolling out (chan 1317236)



The words "Epic" and "Sprint" are typically involved in sentences that also include "delayed" and "update," but if you've been holding out for Gingerbread on your Epic 4G, today's the day. Sprint has just confirmed that Android 2.3 is rolling out to those handsets, bringing an upgrade of the Google OS, audible Sprint Airave notifications when answering a call, Bluetooth headset sound improvements and "fully visible date on device lock screen." The software version should show as S:D700.0.5S.EI22, and it'll be pushed out in stages throughout the next ten days. Let us know how the update's going for you if you're one of the lucky ones.

[Thanks, Charles]

Samsung Epic 4G Gingerbread update is now rolling out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/09/11--09:37: Boxee Box may integrate live TV via USB dongle, push the definition of 'awesome' to a new level (chan 1317236)



Google tried it. Countless others did, too. It's largely believed that the single reason Apple hasn't offered up a true television is the impossible nature of dealing with pay-TV providers, and in reality, trying to merge online programming and traditional cable / satellite is a chore that no one seems to be capable of completing. Based on a leaked software build (v1.5) obtained by GigaOM, Boxee is apparently toying with the idea of integrating live TV (as in, "broadcast TV stations") within the Boxee Box's interface; all you'll eventually need is a USB dongle. We're told that an EyeTV One USB TV tuner wasn't recognized -- even in the new software -- and while it was obviously nonfunctional as it stands, the verbiage is quite clear about what's in the pipeline. Unencrypted broadcast signals built neatly within Boxee's heralded, socially-adept interface? Bring it on.

Boxee Box may integrate live TV via USB dongle, push the definition of 'awesome' to a new level originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/09/11--18:53: Sony Ericsson's Xperia Acro and Xperia Arc get PlayStation Certified in Japan (chan 1317236)



Hello, PlayStation Certification! Looks like the Xperia Play is getting a bit of company in Japan, where Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc and Acro are getting that coveted seal of approval. Updates are actually rolling out across a number of SE phones on NTT DoCoMo, enabling dozens upon dozens of new games to be tailored (and available) for the Arc and Acro in particular. Hit the source link for the official word, and if you aren't camped out in the Land of the Rising Sun, hang tight -- we get the feeling Sony proper is going to be pushing this initiative a lot harder than it has been thus far.

Sony Ericsson's Xperia Acro and Xperia Arc get PlayStation Certified in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11/10/11--03:20: Adobe abandoning Flash Player for TVs as well (chan 1317236)



And the white-flag waving continues. Shortly after announcing the painful death of Flash Player for mobile devices, Adobe is also stepping back from the platform on another major pedestal: television. In a statement to GigaOM, Adobe said that it would "continue to support existing licensees who are planning on supporting Flash Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the Flash Player Porting Kit to do so," but that it felt the "right approach to deliver content on televisions is through applications, not a web browsing experience." The broader efforts to bring Flash to connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players etc. were all part of its Open Screen Project -- something the now-defunct Palm joined in 2009 -- which was established in order to allow developers to craft a single Flash app and distribute it across a number of devices. A perfectly acceptable initiative in theory, but it seems that traction has been hard to come by. One has to wonder what this means for products in the Google TV family, which obviously rely on Flash Player to bring a "complete" browsing experience to the tee-vee screen.

In related news, HTML5 could not be reached for comment, but close friends have affirmed that "snickering" and "belly laughs" could be heard coming from his Los Angeles hotel room.

Adobe abandoning Flash Player for TVs as well originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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