Remember that new licensing service for third-party developers that Google started advertising last month? A new exposé on Android Police claims that it's actually pretty easy to get around -- easy enough so that the crack could probably be packaged into some sort of automated script that breaks protected apps en masse for distribution through pirate-friendly channels. Though that's obviously bad news for developers, it's just as bad for consumers on Android devices who've customarily had less support from top-tier software brands and game studios than Apple's App Store has -- not to say iPhone apps are uncrackable, of course, but considering how difficult it's been in the past to turn a profit in the Android Market, every little bit helps. Let's hope a renewed focus on gaming in Gingerbread helps the situation, eh? Follow the break for Android Police's demo of the crack in action.

Continue reading Android's new app licensing scheme apparently easy to break

Android's new app licensing scheme apparently easy to break originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android Police  | Email this | Comments

Continue reading Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots goes motion-controlled for TI design challenge

Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots goes motion-controlled for TI design challenge originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Make  |  Electronic Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots  | Email this | Comments

Not like it matters much now -- after all, Project Natal has had time to incubate and come out as Kinect -- but those wondering about the inner workings of the motion sensing system now have more one outlet to investigate. A patent application filed on February 23, 2009 was just made public today, describing a "gesture keyboarding" scenario where users can make gestures that are caught by a "depth camera" and then converted into in-game controls. Of course, those paying close attention could've read between the lines when we toyed with a camouflaged PrimeSense demo at GDC, but here's the fully skinny in black and white. And a bit of blue, if you count the buttons. Give that source link a tap once you're settled in.

Microsoft's Kinect patent application goes public, reveals gobs of fine print originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  USPTO  | Email this | Comments

Hey, Peter Molyneux is here at the Engadget Show, and his Fable III demo assistant Dimitri mentioned that he's looking for a box of Lucky Charms, since he can't get it in England. That prompted Peter to make an insane crowd-sourcing offer: the first person to bring a box of Lucky Charms to the Engadget Show will become a character in Fable III. Insane, right? What's more, everyone else who brings a box will get a free signed copy of the game, which is some seriously serious cereal. The show starts in 30 minutes -- we'll see you soon!

Be the first to show up at the Engadget Show with Lucky Charms and Peter Molyneux will put you in Fable III! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

In a sort of puzzling YouTube post, Dell did a quick demo of the 5-inch Streak running Android 2.1 (Eclair). The handset, according to Dell, is supposed to get Android 2.2 sometime after launch so we are a bit confused as to why 2.1 is even on the table. We suppose it is a good sign that Dell’s Android team has 2.1 running on this beast, but seriously Dell… bring on Froyo! Also, the device will retail for $299 with a 2-year AT&T contract and $549 full retail. We’ve got the tripod-less video ready for you after the break.

Read

Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has been chasing holographic damsels in distress for as long as we can remember, and honestly, the technology's still not quite there, but the team that brought us the gCubik has managed to create a low-res 3D hologram table that impresses anyhow. Using an twist on the famous optical illusion toys that use convex mirrors to make objects appear to float in the air, NICT hits a specially-designed optical filter cone with the light from 96 pico projectors. The result is a series of familiar-looking rabbits, teapots and the occasional rubber duck standing five centimeters high and visible through 120 degrees, a good sight better than the two-degree radius afforded them by the original technology. The best part is there's no case enclosing these creations, unlike competing ideas, so we'll eventually see 360-degree tables where your fingers can frolic alongside the ethereal leporidae. Watch the lead researcher demo a prototype after the break.

Continue reading NICT's fVisiOn makes you see immaterial bunnies (video)

NICT's fVisiOn makes you see immaterial bunnies (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  NICT Universal Media Research Center  | Email this | Comments

It seems like everyone is cooking up their own touch-free gesture-based control technology, just like every blogger is destined to refer to it as "Minority Report-like" or "Minority Report-esque," or "Tom Cruise-tastic!" Fraunhofer's FIT, the newest such project, has recently appeared on the YouTubes, where we must say it looks pretty darn good. Not only does it not require special gloves or markers, this thing also works in real time and can support multiple users (and multiple fingers). The researchers hope to use this for working with complex simulation data and in education, although there are some kinks to be worked out: currently elements like the reflections caused by wristwatches and the orientation of the palm confuses the system. That said, the demo is pretty rad! See for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Fraunhofer FIT touch-free gesture-control for multiple users (video)

Fraunhofer FIT touch-free gesture-control for multiple users (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DVice  |  Fraunhofer  | Email this | Comments

The Swype text entry interface that's been tearing up Android phones, World Records and maybe iPhones was spotted doing more of the same on a large touchscreen at the Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference. Spoiler: It looks like Swype, but bigger: More »

In the wake of Apple's peculiar iPhone 4 Strikes Back! press conference, you'd be normal if you expected miffed competitors, especially after Jobs threw the likes of Blackberry, HTC and Nokia under the "Antennagate" bus. Now HTC is hitting back: More »

That's not your grandpappy's touchscreen panel, nor his standard Windows 7 input method of choice, oh no -- unless our eyes deceive us, we're looking at a 3M M2256PW ten-finger multitouch display, and on it, a genuine Swype keyboard. Though we've heard nothing about a partnership between Microsoft and Swype and we see nary a mention on the internet at large, there's no denying the idea -- spotted during last week's Internet Explorer demo at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference -- is an attractive one. The question is when and how Redmond might deliver such functionality to the existing OS... and if we might possibly see the same on the company's upcoming phones as well. See it in action at the source link, and fast forward to 2:58:30 for the goods. Trust us and skip ahead -- we've got a feeling you won't want to hear Microsoft kick this party off.

[Thanks, Abed R.]

Swype spotted swiftly slinging fingers across Windows 7 screens? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (Silverlight)  | Email this | Comments

Apple's Friday press conference may have left a bad taste in some rival handset manufacturer's mouths, but not all of them are taking Cupertino's derision of their devices seriously -- HTC's Droid Eris was arguably the most affected by the grip of doom, its bars dropping to zilch when held, but the Taiwanese company's keeping any controversial opinions to itself for now. Instead, it's sharing a simple percentage to help clear the air. Whereas Apple claimed over 0.55 percent of customers called AppleCare with reception-related complaints, HTC's Eric Lin told Pocket-lint the Droid Eris technical support rate was 0.016 percent, nearly thirty-four times lower -- though even with a seven-month head start, we have to wonder if the Eris sold close to three million by the time Verizon brought the axe down.

HTC fires back at Apple antenna demo with percentage pew-pew originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Pocket-lint  | Email this | Comments

Critix has been touting its "Nirvana phone" concept -- a handheld device that can be paired with a monitor / keyboard for remote desktop use -- for quite some time now. Back in February, the minimum hardware specs were nothing to challenging, and as it turns out, Apple's iPhone 4 pretty much exceeds 'em by a long shot. And it has VGA out capabilities and Bluetooth keyboard support. So, you can imagine where this is going. The company is back in what looks like the same depressing cubicle space to show off what looks to be a mature demo of the Receiver 4.0 virtual desktop client on an iDevice, pushing 1024 x 768 resolution and some gesture integration as a mouse replacement. There's definitely some noticeable lag, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Video after the break.

Continue reading Citrix enlists iPhone 4 in its quest for 'Nirvana phone' portable desktop client (video)

Citrix enlists iPhone 4 in its quest for 'Nirvana phone' portable desktop client (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jul 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Strap yourselves in, pilgrims. Nokia's next great handset has resurfaced in London today, and this time we were even allowed to turn it on. There's pretty much no way you could be unaware of the N8 by now -- Nokia's done the viral video thing, the teaser demo thing, the feature walkthrough thing, we've covered it to near-exhaustion. But we've never seen it, you know, doing stuff. You can now consider that omission corrected, as we've finally powered up the 3.5-inch OLED screen, entered the overhauled Symbian^3 wonderland, and come back to tell the tale. In-depth impressions follow after the break, and don't worry, we'll have video for you shortly as well.

Continue reading Nokia N8 preview

Nokia N8 preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

You've seen parts uno and due already no doubt, so let's dive straight into the third and final installment of Nokia's N8 overview. Today we are treated to the Symbian^3 media player, which continues to closely resemble Apple's Cover Flow, but we're sure the companies will work it out between themselves. That cover-centric interface gets tugged around a few times to show the phone can handle it without lag, and we also get to see a repeat visit from our friend Mr. Long Press, which functions as a mobile version of a right-click by popping up a menu of contextual options. The video continues into a look at the HDMI connectivity and points out that the N8 will be compatible with Bluetooth keyboards -- you know, if you're in the mood for an Espoo-approved version of Google TV. See the whole thing after the break.

[Thanks, Hythem]

Continue reading Nokia completes its N8 video tour with media player and HDMI demo

Nokia completes its N8 video tour with media player and HDMI demo originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 07:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Nokia Conversations  | Email this | Comments

Still looking for an excuse to buy a pico projector? We might just have the perfect thing. LuminAR, a project of MIT student Natan Linder, is something like a sentient desk lamp of the sort that will make any dedicated Pixar fan's heart skip a beat. It can follow a user's actions, using a camera to detect gestures and beam information down to augment whichever reality they're currently experiencing. Interestingly, the whole thing is built into a bulb socket, meaning it could be thrown into any lamp you like -- if you can do without the whole automatic motion aspect. It's based on what looks to be a Microsoft Lifecam Show webcam and what is certainly a Microvision Show WX projector, which is both focus and care free. There's a demo video after the break but, sadly, little hope that this thing will be replacing your current desktop lamp any time soon.

Continue reading LiminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video)

LiminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PicoProjector-info.com  |  MIT Media Lab  | Email this | Comments

Would you believe us if we told you that that rubber bracelet-looking thing is actually going to have a built-in SIM card and bring voice / text capabilities to Android tablets, e-readers and netbooks via Bluetooth? Yeah, it sounds super crazy, but that's exactly what it'll eventually do. Convinced that 2G capabilities like talking and texting should be easier to add to MIDs, tablets and netbooks, Seattle-based startup Iota has come up with the Flex. It's definitely in the early stages of development, but in essence they see people clipping the bendable device to a bag, pairing it to an Android tablet, e-reader or MID, and then making calls from said devices.

We caught some time with Iota and the prototype at the Netbook Summit this week and were told that they plan to sell the Flex through retailers for under $100 -- and that would actually include unlimited calling and texting thanks to a partnership with Simple Mobile. Here's where we say we wouldn't hold your breath for this thing to hit the market -- though if they can pull it off, it'll certainty be an interesting solution for adding voice and text to those hoards of incoming Android tablets. After you're done wrapping your brain around this wearable voice and text accessory, check out the hands-on pics and hit the break for a hacked together demo of the dev kit they've been selling.

Continue reading Iota Flex wants to be a MiFi for voice and text

Iota Flex wants to be a MiFi for voice and text originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Iota Flex  | Email this | Comments

We preface this post by saying we don't know how practical this really is, but PLX's idea of using a netbook's keyboard to type on the iPad is definitely an intriguing one. How does it all work? Well, it relies on the company's USB Duet technology, but the setup isn't exactly what we'd call streamlined. You'll need a netbook like the Fujitsu MH380 or NEC LaVie Light with the built-in PLX chipset / mini-USB port, an iPad with the camera connection kit, and of course the applicable USB Duet software. Regardless, the demo we saw today at the Netbook Summit worked fairly well. When all was said and done, we laid the iPad on top of the netbook's screen and we were able to use the keyboard to type in Safari and in Notes faster than when we were pecking on the virtual keyboard. Additionally, PLX says the same USB feature enables files transfers from the iPad to the laptop without iTunes. Truth is, we could debate the value of this for quite a few hours, but instead we'll just direct you to the video and press release after the break, and then let you duke it out for yourselves in the comments.

Continue reading PLX USB Duet: your netbook is now a cumbersome iPad keyboard

PLX USB Duet: your netbook is now a cumbersome iPad keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 23:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  PLX Techology  | Email this | Comments