Blockbuster in talks with mobile makers for video on the go

from Engadget by Sean Cooper
Apparently Blockbuster Video is wooing mobile device makers in an attempt to make mobile video content consumption a little easier on the consumers. While no names were specifically mentioned, Blockbuster CEO James Keyes did say that they were in talks with virtually all major handset manufacturers. We've no clue how the vids will be delivered if this gets off the ground, but wouldn't be too averse to downloading flicks on the device if the file size -- and data tariffs -- could be kept sane. Mr Keyes went on to say that he's started watching films on his BlackBerry thanks to a little technical help from a Blockbuster employee and from Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research in Motion. Of course, we're sure the technical help mentioned didn't have anything to do with DVD Decrypter and the illegal copying of DVDs, right guys?

 

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California school district getting 1,000 Asus Eee PCs

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

Students in California's Fresno Unified school district have a little something to be excited about this week, as officials have just invested $650,000 in 1,000 Asus Eee PCs, set for classroom deployment over the next few weeks. The concept is to use the miniscule laptops alongside good, old-fashioned textbooks, with each student being given the chance to create a "digital portfolio" of essays, drawings, and whatever else they can get away with. The computers will remain in roughly 60 classrooms, and will be shared by students -- but some worry they'll hinder the learning process by distracting pupils. Says Stephen Lewis, a geology professor at California State University, Fresno, "Teaching and learning is a person-to-person business. Are we moving toward a remote-control classroom?" We're not sure what he means by that... then again, we drifted off half-way through his statement to watch a video of that dog on a skateboard.

 

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Google unveils GPS-less handset locator technology

from Engadget by Darren Murph

If your smartphone came with a built-in GPS receiver, you can choose to just overlook Google's latest technology, but if your mobile is among the 85-percent (or so) out there lacking an integrated GPS module, listen up. The search giant has revealed new software (dubbed My Location) that enables non-GPS-equipped phones to be pinpointed within three miles of their actual location. Google is claiming that it can provide "neighborhood-level" data, and that pressing "0" while in the app will enable users to skip the task of entering in a starting address when looking up directions. Notably, the system is not set up to collect phone numbers or any other personal details, and for those still paranoid, it can indeed be switched off. Currently, the tracking database still has a few gaps to be filled -- namely locales in Europe and all of China / Japan -- but Google could very well use the location data to eventually provide targeted ads to those who use it.

[Image courtesy of TracyAndMatt, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

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Cowon Q5W goes on sale in US, shows off its premium skills

from Engadget by Nilay Patel

We knew the Cowon Q5W was coming to our fair shores this week, but now that it's here, we've got some fresh details that make that $549 pricetag seem downright reasonable. You're still looking at a 5-inch 800 x 400 touchscreen and Windows CE, but Cowon has really thrown down the gauntlet with codec support, including DivX, XviD, AVI, ASF, WMV9, MPEG4, OGM, Ogg, FLAC and APE -- and the browser supports Flash. There's also a "pen mode" for the interface and an optional WinCE Office Viewer that might let you actually get some work done. To top it all off, the entire UI appears to be skinnable, and Cowon says a version with GPS will also hit next month. Damn, looks like our love affair with the Archos 605 WiFi is over.

PS. Check the Cowon America product page for some of the best machine translation pickup lines we've ever seen.

[Thanks, Gibran]

 

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Verizon and Vodafone to launch LTE trial in 2008

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

The decision to move to LTE for their next-gen network is old news. However, Vodafone and Verizon's coordinated trial set to launch in 2008 is most definitely new. Suppliers will include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens, and Nortel with devices anticipated from the usuals (LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson) in addition to non-traditional consumer electronics companies looking to get a foothold on the nascent wireless broadband service. Presumably the latter is a nod in the direction of Verizon's suspect, Open Development initiative announced earlier this week. No word on dates or locations but we'll certainly let you know how this trial network, with a theoretical 100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload capability, unfolds.

 

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