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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Google Voice app now supports iPad and iPod touch, brings Click2Call

So, how exactly does a voice app work on devices without any cellular ties? Glad you asked! Google has just updated the iOS Google Voice app to include support for the iPod touch and iPad, but neither of them can make cellular calls directly. Instead, you can use the app to initiate GVoice calls with a nearby phone. The process is known as Click2Call -- users simply click any 'Call' button within the app and then choose which of their phones they want to ring. It's probably more time consuming than just grabbing your phone from the start, but hey, there it is. In other news, the app now disables text forwarding when you enable Push Notifications (to avoid double alerts), and there's a new Do Not Disturb option in the Settings tab for those who'd prefer to disconnect. Hit the iTunes link below to get your download on, and let us know how things shake out in comments.

Google Voice app now supports iPad and iPod touch, brings Click2Call originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast Testing Super Set-Top Box That Does Cable TV and Web Video [Comcast]

Comcast subscribers in Augusta, Georgia are currently playing guinea pig for a new set-top box that lets them watch internet video in addition to regular TV (and search seamlessly across both.) But should one cable box have all that power?

The service, codenamed "Spectrum" and "Xcalibur," is one of several experiments the cable giant is conducting as it looks to the future and the inevitable convergence of TV and internet. According to the WSJ, the new boxes can access a "smattering of Web video" and some social networks, though they don't offer full web browsing like Google TV. Still, the web video served by the new boxes, as well as live TV, DVR and OnDemand content, is fully searchable with a new "fluid and graphical" interface.

I'm of two minds about this! On one hand, I've got it in my head that it would be really cool to watch Vimeo videos on my TV; on the other, I know there's no way in hell that Vimeo is included in the "smattering" of web videos Comcast's deigning to serve to my TV. And that's essentially the rub here—cable companies, whose dinosaur boxes occupy some space in all of our TV rooms, have unparalleled access to put internet on our TVs with little headache or hardware. But that's going to be the internet on their terms, and we've seen how they're not afraid to throw their muscle around to protect their interests.

Comcast says they're not sure if or when they'll launch the mega-boxes, though it's hard to imagine that serving up just enough internet content to keep the Google TVs and Apple TVs and Rokus of the world out of living rooms isn't part of their master plan. At least there's that fluid interface to look forward to! [WSJ]

Image credit: Mr. T in DC

OnLive MicroConsole torn down, Marvell Armada found lurking within

When Marvell was still teasing its Armada processor company co-founder Sehat Sutardja said it would be showing up in "a new gaming platform" -- but he kinda left us hanging after that. Four months later it's looking like we might have found it. Reader David Fisher was kind enough to tear his OnLive Microconsole down to its requisite bits, spreading them upon his kitchen countertop and exposing the Marvell Armada lurking within. Other specs include 512MB of RAM, an unknown quantity of Samsung ROM, and networking chips also from Marvell. There you have it: another mystery of the world solved thanks to your friend the screwdriver.

Gallery: OnLive MicroConsole teardown

[Thanks, David]

OnLive MicroConsole torn down, Marvell Armada found lurking within originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Freebox v6 Revolution set-top box brings calling, TV and gaming together

Pay-TV operators have been tossing out "quadruple play" bundles for the better part of three years now, but we dare say that none of 'em have come close to nailing it like this. France's own Free, a well-known ISP in the nation, has just introduced the Freebox v6 Revolution, a newfangled set-top box designed by Philippe Starck and engineered to handle just about all of your home entertainment needs. It's stuffed with 250GB of hard drive space, an internal 802.11n WiFi module, Blu-ray drive, inbuilt web browser and Intel's Atom CE4100 media processor. It also ships with a motion-sensing remote, and in short, it's designed to provide live / streaming television options, internet (fiber or DSL is supported), gaming (via a streaming service similar to OnLive) and at-home calling to boot. Free's also planning to dabble in mobile telephony starting in 2012, hence the plans for a quadruple play offering in the not-too-distant future. We're told that a joystick (presumably for getting your game on) is thrown in, as are a pair of powerline adapters in order to easily network it through your abode's power network. The Revolution is up for pre-order now, and depending on how long you've had your current Free STB, it could cost as little as €59.99 or as much as €119.99. The "basic" Freebox service will run €29.99, and once Free goes mobile in 2012, you can add a mobile line for another €29.99.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Freebox v6 Revolution set-top box brings calling, TV and gaming together originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Millennial: Android And iOS In Deadlock Again For Monthly Smartphone Impression Share

Mobile ad network Millennial Media is releasing its monthly data on mobile devices and OS marketshare for November today. Millennial’s ads reach 63 million of a total of 77 million mobile web users in the U.S., or 81 percent of the U.S. mobile web.

Similar to last month’s report, Android tied with iOS as the largest Smartphone OS on the network for November, with both mobile operating systems sharing 38 percent of ad impressions on the network. Both Android and iOS’s share increased by one percent from last month. RIM followed Android and iOS with a 19 percent impression share in November, down one percent from October.

One of the more interesting data points from the network’s report is that Android apps represented 54 percent of all apps on the Millennial network and are averaging 10 percent growth month-over-month over the past 4 months. Apple was second on the list with a 38 percent share. Additionally, Android was named the leading platform that publishers/developers intend to support in 2011, with the iPad and Windows Phone 7 tied for second on the list.

General smartphone impression share decreased by 3 percent month-over-month and accounted for 58 percent of the mobile phone impression share in November. Feature Phones and WiFi Connected Devices (i.e. the iPad) experienced a 1 percent and 2% increase in impression share month-over-month, respectively. Together, they represented 42% of impressions in November.

Millennial also reported that Apple continued its reign as the top manufacturer on the Millennial network (as it has been for the last 14 months), representing 25 percent of the network’s impression share by manufacturer in November. In terms of actual devices, the iPhone and iPod touch made up the top two individual mobile devices.

Samsung came in second in terms of manufacturers, followed by Motorola with a 15 percent impression share Motorola had three devices in Millennial’s network—Droid, Droid 2 and Droid X). RIM devices represented ﬁve of the Top 30 Mobile Devices on Millennial’s network, with a combined impression share of 11 percent in November.

While Android is eating away at the smartphone marketshare that Apple and RIM once commanded, there’s the possibility that Android’d rampant growth could be slowing down. The OS only posted a 1 percent increase in impressions share on Millennial’s network versus an 8 percent increase in October.

It will be interesting to see if Android can manage to surpass impression share in December. According to a new IDC report, Millennial is the third largest network behind Google AdMob and Apple’s iAd, so a shift in share on Millennial’s network would be significant.