The ongoing kerfuffle between Mexico's Federal Competition Commission and Carlos Slim's America Movil (Telcel's parent company) took a drastic turn earlier today. According to the CFC, a deal has been reached with Slim's telecom outfit that, among other things, will revoke the 11,989,000,000 pesos fine (about $1 billion dollars) imposed back in 2011. That being said, the wealthiest man on the globe isn't completely off the hook, as America Movil's been given five new demands that must be adhered to. Among these are reducing the current per-minute interconnection rates from .95 to .36 pesos, sharing the Telcel waves with other companies in the country and routinely providing the CFC with extensive details to prove the aforementioned requirements are being followed. Should America Movil not live up to its end of the deal, the Mexican regulator could hit Carlos Slim & Co. with a fine of up to eight percent of Telcel's annual revenue -- which, needless to say, is a heck of a lot of cash.

CFC backtracks on Slim's near-billion dollar fine in Mexico, lays out other terms and conditions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Lumus' OE-31 optical engine turns motorcycle helmets, other eyewear into wearable displays

Lumus' OE-31 optical engine turns motorcycle helmets, other eyewear into wearable displays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon rumored to be working with Redbox on its internet video streaming service originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Thanks, dy4me]

Continue reading ASUS Transformer Prime origami-style Smart Cover is ready for its closeup (video)

ASUS Transformer Prime origami-style Smart Cover is ready for its closeup (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some would say if you only had one arm, you're handicapped. I would like to tell those accusing people that they lack imagination. Think about the versatility you gain! Instead of having an arm, you can have a hook, a tentacle or even a smartphone dock embedded in your prosthetic! More »

What do you do when you've already created a Sensation? If you're HTC, you repackage that lightning in a slightly different chassis, turn the volume (read: speed) up to 11 and borrow a bit of optical wizardry to add that new smartphone smell. All key elements that can be found in the DNA of the company's latest imperatively named product offering -- the Amaze 4G. Clearly, HTC's throwing caution to the fickle consumer winds here, raising the bar for Android users' expectations and mixing in just enough razzle dazzle to win over those hard earned geek dollars. So, what's the hook this time 'round? No, not Beats -- that's for its Euro stepcousin, the Sensation XE. Here, the main attraction is this handset's ability to surf along T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42Mbps network. That's right, Magenta's tiptoeing into LTE speed territory and you've got Sense 3.0 to help pilot that wireless ride. Join us after the break as we peel back the layers of this unibodied mobile onion.

Continue reading HTC Amaze 4G review

HTC Amaze 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There was a lot of charm to the bygone experience of using a computer in the 90s; I remember the nuances of my modem's soothing screech better than the hook from "I Want It That Way" (which is reallyreallyreally well). And the goofy pointer finger cursor was so wonderful that this novelty cursor tablet stylus is actually kind of tempting. More »

There are two types of people in this world -- those who need absolute silence to sleep, and those who need background noise to carry them off to sleepy land. Unfortunately, when these people share a room or, worse yet, a bed, wars can ensue. Sleeping with a pair of headphones on is, at best, uncomfortable. That is, unless you happen to own a pair of Bedphones -- or so its creator Eric Dubs claims. These ear-hook style buds are extremely thin and held in place by a length of moldable memory wire. There's even a Bedphones app that can turn the screen of your Android phone into a giant play/pause button, slowly lower the volume as a timer counts down, or shut off completely when you fall asleep (as determined by how much you move) in "smart mode." We wouldn't expect this tiny pair of phones to produce the greatest sound, but they're probably more than adequate for drifting off to an audiobook or podcast. They're available at the source link for $30.

Bedphones put tunes in your ears, wont come between you and your pillow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a Mac user, there’s a decent chance you’ve heard of Macheist, a deal site that bundles different Mac applications together for a ridiculously low price. While The Heist isn’t a bundled software deal, it’s an insanely addictive puzzle game for the iPhone based on a theme of trying to crack into a safe — hence the title. There are four different puzzle types and over 60 levels, each one with distinct themes and objectives. And, in addition, there’s a promised prize to any user that completes every level in the game. Not a bad hook, right? The game is built by developer TapTapTap, makers of the Camera+ iPhone app, and it’s available now for $0.99 in the App Store — and it’s currently sitting pretty as the No. 1 paid app.

Imagine, if you will, business travelers gallivanting across the globe with nary a care in the world -- secure in the fact that should they lose their laptop by hook or by crook, they can disable it with a simple text message. Well, the dream is now a reality as Intel has put its third-gen vPro technology in Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 business chips, giving users the ability to lock down and reactivate a PC remotely via SMS. Not exactly a fresh idea, but nice to see it passed on to more modern chipsets. To further simplify the lives of IT professionals, the new version of vPro also has an encryption login requirement upon awakening from sleep mode, 1920 x 1200 resolution remote management, and host-based configuration to allow the set up of countless PCs at once. Of course, that assumes your employer's willing to pony up for Chipzilla's new gear -- the economic downturn's almost over, right?

Intel brings vPro to Sandy Bridge CPUs, makes losing your work laptop slightly less painful originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may have been following our live blog of Samsung’s “Unpacked: Part I” event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. If you did you would know that, much to the chagrin of most of the event’s attendants, it sort of dragged; we heard the same things repeated over and over again by various members of Samsung’s team. However, after we’ve had some hands-on time with the star of the show, the Galaxy S II, we think we know why it got such and exhaustive introduction: it’s a really, really great smartphone. Sammy has obviously invested a large amount of time and energy into the next Galaxy S, and you can really feel all that effort and energy when you pick up the device. It’s incredibly light, incredibly thin, and incredibly responsive. The TouchWiz UI has gotten a serious makeover that makes it much more appealing than its previous iteration. Customization options, social networking hook-ins, it’s all there. Not to mention some of those high-end specs: dual-core processor, Wi-Fi direct support, HSPA +21 Mbps radio, 1080p HD recording and playback at 30fps, and hardware accelerated encryption — just to name a few. Oh, and who could forget that 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen… you really have to see it to appreciate it. In short: the phone is gorgeous, feels solid, and responds just like you want it to. Will the Galaxy S II make its way to the U.S. in a non carrier-bastardized form? That’s the $1,000,000 question. Sammy is hosting another event tomorrow evening where it may reveal more details about its strategy for the United States — if we’re lucky we may even get a timetable. Until then, hit up our hands-on gallery and let us know what you think!

SBN Tech to show off Android-based IP Video Phone at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With an face that seems ripped right out of Star Trek's LCARS, you'd think the Gridlock is yet another Tokyoflash watch that's nigh-impossible to read, but you'd be wrong. It's actually quite simple once you figure out the hook. More »

And the intellectual property rollercoaster continues. The BBC is reporting that Microsoft's second appeal against a judgment granting $240 million in damages due to content in Word that infringed on patents held by i4i was today rejected, leaving the Redmond giant with a huge fine to pay atop its undoubtedly sky-high lawyer bills. In the latest ruling, the judges state their belief that Microsoft was explicitly aware of i4i's patents before implementing the relevant XML code into Word, which is about as damning as these things can get. Still, Microsoft might be able to appeal yet again, depending on a panel ruling on the matter, and if all else fails, this can be taken all the way to the Supreme Court. Crazy or what?

Microsoft loses second Word patent appeal, on the hook for $240 million in damages originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're still not entirely certain what Google Wave is for -- or even if humans are capable of comprehending it -- but we do know that we're super-intrigued by the idea of third-party extensions that hook into the fledging messaging platform, and it sounds like the folks in Mountain View are as well. Google's planning to launch both an extension gallery and extension store in the coming months, which would allow users to easily find, buy, and share apps for Wave. It's not clear how the sharing will work, or how much Google expects extensions to cost, but it's certainly an interesting way to capitalize on Wave's flexibility. Our first request? An extension to kill live-typing. Let's make it happen.

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Google Wave to have its own app store originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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