drag2share: Panasonic plans to go forth with Android to all of Europe this spring, North America is a definite maybe

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/26/panasonic-plans-to-go-forth-with-android-to-all-of-europe-this-s/

Have you been hoping to experience a Panasonic boom up close and personal, but found yourself in the wrong locale? The Japanese electronics giant wants to change all of that by expanding its Android lineup to Europe and North America, according to Nikkei. The company's said to be in talks with a "major telecommunications firm" in Europe to bring several devices to the continent as early as this spring, and is aspiring to eventually make it to North America and other Asian countries. This lines up with last week's rumors that it was seeking out a PR agency to help spread the news when the time's right. Might we expect Panasonic to make a mobile splash at CES or MWC in a major way? It's going to be exhibiting at both, so we'd say there's a pretty good chance.

Panasonic plans to go forth with Android to all of Europe this spring, North America is a definite maybe originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Droid 4 official pics and RAZR-with-keyboard confirming specs leak out

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/27/droid-4-official-pics-and-razr-with-keyboard-confirming-specs-le/

QWERTY-loving fans of the Droid series probably won't have to feel left out of the LTE party for much longer, as Droid-Life has uncovered some official-looking pictures and even a comparison chart of the upcoming Droid 4 and the rest of the line. The specs reveal it shares almost everything with the Droid RAZR, with the exceptions being a slightly smaller 4-inch qHD screen, ditching the Kevlar backing, and tossing in the aforementioned 5-row "edge-lit" keyboard. Hit the source link to view a more pics and the chart, which explains how we've gone from the Droid 2 last year, to the Droid 3 just a few months ago, to the Droid 4 / RAZR combo attack Motorola and Verizon could be unleashing as soon as December 8th, assuming the rumors hold true.

Update: That keyboard too small for you? No worries, additional leaks reveal the Droid 4 will play nice with Motorola's Lapdock 100, Lapdock 500 Pro and a wireless keyboard packing a trackpad. Hit the second source link below for a peek at the slab's compatible accessories.

Droid 4 official pics and RAZR-with-keyboard confirming specs leak out originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: The Best Virtualization App for Windows [Windows App Directory]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5861847/the-best-virtualization-app-for-windows

Windows users have a few choices when it comes to virtualizing another OS, but our personal favorite is VirtualBox, for its solid feature set and $0 price tag.

VirtualBox

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: Free
Download Page

• Easy installation of popular operating systems like Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X
• Run multiple virtualized environments simultaneously
• Run a guest OS in "seamless mode", which puts the applications on your main Windows desktop
• Fast performance all around
• Take snapshots of your virtual machines, so you can start it up from any configuration or point in its life
• Clipboad sharing
• 3D Virtualization
• Open virtual disk images made in VirtualBox, VMWare, or Microsoft Virtual PC

VirtualBox makes running other operating systems—whether it be Linux, other versions of Windows, or even Mac OS X—super easy on your home computer. Just insert your install disc (or point it to an ISO on your computer), and you can install it in a virtual machine with as much or as little RAM, CPU, and hard drive space as you want. It integrates with your mouse pointer, so you don't even have to click on the window to start using it, and lets you create "snapshots" of your machines so, like restore points, you can just boot it up from any point in its history and use it from that point. You can even share your clipboard back and forth between your virtualized and host OS.

VirtualBox can seem a little intimidating to most beginners, but so can any virtualization program. In addition, its "seamless" mode, while cool, isn't done quite as well as VMWare's—it brings the entire toolbar of your guest OS with it, and moving the Windows around isn't the smoothest experience. But, overall, it's still very feature-filled, and with a great documentation and a ton of users, it isn't difficult to find answers to any of your questions.

VMWare Player is VirtualBox's main competition, providing a similar feature set from a well-known company in virtualization. The main differences are that VMWare's equivalent of seamless mode is a bit better integrated and it has drag-and-drop file sharing, though it doesn't have a snapshot feature—which is, arguably, a more useful feature, which is why VirtualBox ekes it out in this App Directory. VMWare is also feels a bit more sluggish, though like VirtualBox, it is free, so it's worth trying both. If you want the whole package, VMWare Workstation has everything VMWare Player has and more (like snapshots), but it'll set you back 200 clams, so it probably isn't worth it for most home users.

If you're only virtualizing Windows, you also have the choice of using Windows Virtual PC. For the most part, it isn't quite as good as the above options, but it does come with a free Windows XP license and good integration with Windows Explorer and XP mode, for running those old programs that Windows 7 doesn't play nicely with. It requires Windows 7 Professional or above to use, though, so while it's "free", you'll still be paying for it.

Do you have a favorite virtualization app other than the above, or just have another reason you love these programs? Let us know in the comments.

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Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.

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You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
 

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drag2share: Blip.me Records Voice Notes on Any Phone for Easy Sharing and Playback Later [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5862154/blipme-records-voice-notes-on-any-phone-for-easy-sharing-and-playback-later

iOS/Android: If you like recording audio messages for yourself to help you remember important details, or you just want to send your friends something more personal than a text message, Blip.me allows you to record short voice messages and send them to anyone in your contacts list instantly. Alternatively, just record notes for yourself as personal reminders.

Once installed, the Blip.me mobile app connects with your contacts list to make it easier to send messages as soon as you record them. Just select the person you want to send the message to, press the "hold and speak" button on your phone's screen, and speak your message. When you let up off of the button, the message is immediately sent to your contact. If your friend is also using the app, incoming voice messages can be played aloud via speaker or when you bring the phone up to your ear. The developers market the app like a push-to-talk walkie-talkie, but it's really just another fun way to record and send voice messages to your friends.

The app works just as well if you want to send yourself short voice messages or record voice notes for your own use, but it's fun to combine the ability to record personal notes with the ability to send voice notes. Blip.me is free, and available now in the Android App Market and the iTunes App Store.

Blip.me

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You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter or Google+.

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drag2share: Galaxy Nexus volume fix in the works, Google confirms

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/23/google-responds-to-galaxy-nexus-volume-complaints-says-fix-is-i/

Google has heard your Galaxy Nexus complaints loud and clear, and it's already working on a fix. That's just about all the company had to say today, in response to widespread gripes over a strange volume bug on Samsung's new flagship handset. "We are aware of the volume issue and have developed a fix," Google said in a statement. "We will update devices as soon as possible." It appears, then, that the problem lies not in the phone's hardware, but in its software, meaning that a simple OTA update may just do the trick. No word yet on when we can expect to see the fix, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out.

Galaxy Nexus volume fix in the works, Google confirms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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