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Monday, February 15, 2010

iPhone 3GS pitted against Nexus One in 3D frame rate test (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/iphone-3gs-pitted-against-nexus-one-in-3d-frame-rate-test-video/

We'd already seen first hand what kind of GPU improvements Apple made with the iPhone 3GS (in comparison to the iPhone 3G, anyway), but if you've ever wondered how Cupertino's latest stacked up against Google's Nexus One in the graphical department, your answer is just a click away. The technical gurus over at Distinctive Developments set out to determine which handset was capable of pushing more frames per second when really taxed, and through a series of pinpoint tests, they discovered that the Nexus One (in general) lagged behind. The reason? Reportedly, Google's phone isn't using Neon floating-point optimization, but if it did, the scores you'll see just past the break could be quite different. Hey Mountain View, you getting all this?

Continue reading iPhone 3GS pitted against Nexus One in 3D frame rate test (video)

iPhone 3GS pitted against Nexus One in 3D frame rate test (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SlingPlayer Mobile v1.2 enables 3G streaming on the iPhone, now ready for download

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/slingplayer-mobile-v1-2-enables-3g-streaming-on-the-iphone-now/

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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Samsung Beam (Halo) Android projector phone hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/samsung-beam-halo-hands-on/

Well here it is, Samsung's pico projector phone live and in the flesh here at Mobile World Congress. And surprise surprise it's running Android 2.1 with a TouchWiz 3.0 skin just as we heard. The only difference is the name: Halo is the codename, the official product name announced today is Beam. As a smartphone with integrated pico projector it's very impressive. However, as you can see from the pictures and video (it's coming), the 6 lumen brightness struggles even under the semi-controlled lighting demonstration set up here on the show floor in Barcelona. Samsung tells us that the TouchWiz implementation is nearly identical to what you'll find on Bada with "very small" differences. Unfortunately, the people we spoke with on the show floor weren't able to articulate exactly what those were. To us, having only used the two devices for a short period of time, they do look identical. Beam features a nice pass through trick that allows it to project the image seen by the 5 megapixel camera through the TI pico. Not sure how we'd use that in real life but it's a neat trick nonetheless. Now click into the gallery and prepare to be amazed at just how thin a smartphone with integrated projector can be while we wait for the summer launch.

Update: Video is now after the break.

Gallery: Samsung Beam hands-on

Continue reading Samsung Beam (Halo) Android projector phone hands-on

Samsung Beam (Halo) Android projector phone hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twenty-four telecom operators unite to form Wholesale Applications Community

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/twenty-four-telecom-operators-unite-to-form-wholesale-applicatio/

Big doings over in Barcelona today. Twenty-four telecom operators, with the support of the GSMA and three major hardware manufacturers, have formally announced they will come together to form the Wholesale Applications Community. Essentially, the goal of the alliance will be to create a viable, cohesive and open industry platform for mobile app developers. Members of the Community will include AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, TeliaSonera, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone among others, and they'll be supported in their endeavors by LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. The total customers of the group is about 3 billion, giving WAC (our name) some considerable -- albeit theoretical for the moment -- power. The group plans to work on coming up with a standard for working across platforms over the next twelve months. WAC's website just went live a bit ago -- there's a link to it below -- and the full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Twenty-four telecom operators unite to form Wholesale Applications Community

Twenty-four telecom operators unite to form Wholesale Applications Community originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MeeGo: Nokia and Intel merge Maemo and Moblin

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/meego-nokia-and-intel-merge-maemo-and-moblin/

Well this one is a... doozy? Today Nokia announced a rather bizarre partnership with Intel. Namely, the two companies are merging their odd, half-finished, Linux-based OSs into one crazy little package called... MeeGo. No, really. Intel is mixing its peanut butter Moblin with Nokia's chocolatey Maemo to create a "software platform that will support multiple hardware architectures across the broadest range of device segments, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems." That broad enough for you? According to the company's press release, the new platform will begin baring fruit (AKA devices) later this year, though the specific types of devices weren't touched upon. Nokia's CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo claims that the union will "create an ecosystem that is second to none" through openness, though at this point it's largely bluster. Why the two monoliths have decided to pair up on these decidedly niche platforms rather than focusing energies on their front and center products is anyone's guess, but luckily you can attempt to decipher more detail in the PR, included for your convenience after the break!

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MeeGo: Nokia and Intel merge Maemo and Moblin originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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