AT&T CEO: iPad will be mostly used on WiFi, won't drive many new 3G subscriptions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/atandt-ceo-ipad-will-be-mostly-used-on-wifi-wont-drive-many-new/

We all know by now that AT&T has secured the rights to furnish US iPad owners with 3G connectivity, but apparently the market desire for that service won't be quite as big as we might have expected. That comes straight from Randall Stephenson himself, AT&T CEO and eternal believer in the power of i-branded devices, so it may have some legitimacy to it. Surely Randall's dearest wish would be to announce his network is about to be overwhelmed by new subscribers, and the rather cooler news has already caused a small dint in AT&T's stock price. Then again, this is hardly shocking news given that 3G on the iPad can be had on a month-by-month basis without contract, and in truth any subscriptions related to it would have to be achieved by AT&T's own ingenuity -- which, judging by its CEO's comments, won't be suffering any undue exertions any time soon. Not only that, Randall's also taken the opportunity to advise us that higher data rates are likely for intensive users of unlimited 3G data plans -- whether on the iPad or on smartphones. Way to endear yourself to the masses, dude.

AT&T CEO: iPad will be mostly used on WiFi, won't drive many new 3G subscriptions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/03/nokia-and-alpine-integrating-handsets-into-cars-bringing-ovi-ma/

What's the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone? If your answer was that most phones don't have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia's about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets -- complete with free Ovi Maps navigation -- into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker system to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home. There's further interaction with widgets keeping an eye on your fuel levels and engine condition, leading to location-based services such as the phone notifying you of the nearest and cheapest petrol station. Connectivity is done over either USB or Bluetooth, and Nokia promises that this Terminal Mode will be showing up in its phones in the very near future. The sooner the better, we say.

Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lyrics Training Improves Your Foreign Language Skills Through Music [Learning]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/tIwcvi-B2_g/lyrics-training-improves-your-foreign-language-skills-through-music

Learning a foreign language doesn't have to be dry and boring rote memorization. Clever web site Lyrics Training sharpens your skills through music and song lyrics.

Lyrics Training is a really fun approach to helping you pick up a foreign language. Choose a YouTube-hosted music video and select one of three mastery levels; Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert. As the video begins to play, the song's lyrics appear underneath with several words missing. Your job is to fill in the missing words as they're sung.

If you get stumped, the video stops playing until you can come up with the word, but don't take too long because the app keeps track of the time it takes you to fill in the blanks. Click the "Give Up!" button to see the words that elude you.

Lyrics Training sorts videos by fluency level or language. Currently the site only offers videos in six languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch), and it doesn't have a ton of videos for every language, but the number of videos should only grow. However, an optional translation feature powered by Google automatically translates a song's lyrics into one of dozens of different languages while you're busy filling in missing words.

The site is free to use and doesn't require registration, though if you do set up an account, you can save the results of your efforts. While Lyrics Training alone won't make you fluent in another language, it's great for improving your skills or dabbling in a new language. Plus, it's just a lot of fun.

Lyrics Training

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Disk Space Fan Analyzes Hard Drive Space with a Dash of Eye Candy [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/KQGtd0DIXh8/disk-space-fan-analyzes-hard-drive-space-with-a-dash-of-eye-candy

Windows only: Free utility Disk Space Fan analyzes your hard drive usage to help you determine what's taking up space on your hard drive, representing it all with fancy visualization eye candy.

Disk Space Fan joins a long line of disk visualization tools, from the classic WinDirStat to DriveSpacio, Disktective, and others. WinDirStat has always had a special place in our hearts when it came time to visualize our hard drive usage and knock off space-wasting files, but it's not the most attractive tool in the toolbox. Disk Space Fan does the same sort of disk analysis, but it's also very attractive in addition to being very functional.

Eye candy aside, its scans are fast, and the Explorer integration makes it open up any file or folder for a closer look. You can click any slice to drill down further (and yes, it has fancy animated transitions when you do the clicking), and you can open or delete any file or folder directly from the app.

Disk Space Fan is a free download, Windows only. (Mac users, check out previously mentioned GrandPerspective.) A Pro version is available with a few more features, but the core features that make it great are available for free.

Disk Space Fan [via AddictiveTips]

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Choose One: The Archos 7 and Archos 8 Home 'Tablets' Each Cost $200 [Android]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ODSPvIIBxbs/choose-one-the-archos-7-and-archos-8-home-tablets-each-cost-200

Archos has never made bad products, but their PMPs have definitely grown less relevant over the last few years. But now? Now two Android-wielding Archos Home Tablets will each cost only about $200.

The Archos 7 Home Tablet is pretty much just a refresh to their existing Archos 5 Internet Tablet—it's a 7-inch touchscreen Android tablet (or, OK, MID), loaded with Wi-Fi and USB. This April, a 2GB model (we really hope there's an SD card slot) goes on sale for about $200 overseas.

Meanwhile, the Archos 8 Home Tablet (or, OK, picture frame) is an 8-inch touchscreen tablet loaded with 4GB of storage, available overseas this May. The screen to case ratio isn't fantastic, but the cooking software already has me mentally placing the Archos 8 into my kitchen. It should be available overseas this May for about $200.

It should be noted that both tablets have Arm9 CPUs that won't be blazing fast. And each will probably be launched in the US, eliminating the need for an import. [UMPC Portal via SlashGear]

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