Desk Phone Dock review
With every passing day, more people are ditching their landlines in favor of using their cellular phones as a combination device. Smartphones are no doubt excellent means of contacting other humans and managing our lives, but some of us miss the simpler days — when a phone was just a phone. If you’re a proud owner of an iPhone but looking to head down the retro road, Kee Utility would like to point you in the right direction. When we first saw the Desk Phone Dock, we were pretty intrigued by its looks but had questions about its practicality. What you see here is the $150 answer. Keep reading to see how well we got on with it.
Gallery: Kee Desk Phone Dock Review
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Desk Phone Dock review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Square to add encryption to mobile card reader, skimmers put on notice
It’s only been a couple days since we first heard about Visa’s involvement with Square, but the credit card giant is already making its mark on the mobile payment startup. At the Visa Global Security Summit on Wednesday, Square Security Lead Sam Quigley revealed that the company will distribute an encrypted card reader this summer, which will work exclusively with its mobile payment app. The current reader theoretically scans credit card data to any app, but the encrypted version will only work with Square, which should alleviate VeriFone’s concern that the company was essentially distributing “card skimmers” to anyone with a social security number. Luckily, the new encrypted reader will remain free, giving Square a colossal advantage over VeriFone’s Payware Mobile product, which carries a $49 activation fee, in addition to standard merchant fees. Not to mention, it isn’t available in white.
Square to add encryption to mobile card reader, skimmers put on notice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help devs point iPhone apps at WP7 libs
If you’ve spent much time coding in a development environment that has buttons, you know that Microsoft’s tools are among the best. In the spirit of helping developers (developers, developers) find their way to its mobile platform of choice, the company has launched the API Mapping tool for iPhone. Basically, it’s a utility that will look at the calls your iOS app’s code is making and help you find a new home for them in .Net’s ample libraries. Microsoft is also providing documentation to help with the porting and, we hear, asking really, really nicely that you consider Windows Phone for your next project.
Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help devs point iPhone apps at WP7 libs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HBO Go mobile app hands-on (video)
Update: Sorry Android users, but it looks like the only supported versions for the Android app are 2.1 - 2.3.3. However, we’re getting reports that it does function in the browser — so long as you’ve got Flash installed, of course. We’re also told that the HBO Go site works just fine on the PlayBook as well.
Gallery: HBO Go hands-on
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HBO Go mobile app hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers
Don’t ditch that premium cable subscription just yet. The long-anticipated HBO Go app just hit the iOS App Store and Android Market, bringing original HBO series and a variety of blockbuster films to your mobile device. You’ll need an HBO subscription with your cable provider to get past the login screen, but unlocking all that the service has to offer using our Verizon FiOS account took just a second, and we were off and running with Avatar less than a minute after launching the app. We’ll have a full hands-on later today, but if you’re an HBO subscriber with an iOS or Android slab, head over to your device’s respective store to download the free app.
[Thanks, Jason]
HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NPD credits Verizon iPhone with stemming the Android tide in Q1 smartphone sales
As much as we were hoping to get some definitive statements from AT&T and Verizon’s Q1 2011 financials about the Verizon iPhone’s impact on the smartphone market, none were really forthcoming. It’s left to analyst outfits like the NPD, therefore, to try and parse the data for us and read between the official lines. The latest numbers from the NPD Group’s Mobile Phone Tracker indicate that Apple’s share of US smartphones sales jumped from 19 percent in Q4 2010 to 28 percent in the first quarter of this year, which helped stymie Android’s prodigious expansion. The Google OS went from being on 53 percent of all smartphones sold to a flat 50 percent in the quarter. Also intriguing about the period is that, for the first time, smartphones accounted for more than half of all mobile phones sold in the US, at 54 percent. The top five best-selling cellphones also happened to be smartphones, with Apple and HTC providing two each; the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Droid X, EVO 4G, and the Droid Incredible took home the NPD commendations.
[Thanks, Matt]
Disclaimer: NPD’s Ross Rubin is a contributor to Engadget.
NPD credits Verizon iPhone with stemming the Android tide in Q1 smartphone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video)
A cardboard cut-out, really? You pasted a 50-inch rectangle of stiffened paper to the wall in order to preview the flatscreen of your dreams within your new Vitsoe shelving system? For shame. A true nerd, nay, a real man would have cast aside those arts and crafts for Panasonic’s new Viera AR Setup Simulator app. Just grab the wall or pedestal AR marker from the printer and place it wherever you hope to showcase that new Panny. Then watch the app augment your reality through the iPhone’s camera. Don’t cost nothin’ but your time, starting with the 60 second video embedded after the break.
Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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White iPhone 4 thickness creates issue for case makers, owners
By now you’ve probably seen the latest spectacle to consume the white iPhone 4: it’s thicker than the black model. The image above illustrates the point using a piece of lead from a mechanical pencil. So what, you say, in righteous indignation to a device that shipped ten months late. Well, the size difference creates a potential consumer issue since cases (at least the good ones) are manufactured against the tight tolerances supplied by Apple. We’ve confirmed ourselves, that an Incase slider that fits a black iPhone 4 just fine has to be forced into place on the new white model. Unfortunately, Apple’s own spec page doesn’t highlight the change in thickness (measured at 9.5mm by TiPb). Instead it still shows a 9.3mm depth with a tiny disclaimer stating, “Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.” The result is confusion — will this case fit or won’t it? — which is never a good thing for consumers.
But why is the white iPhone 4 thicker? Phil Schiller mentioned that Apple needed to add extra UV protection among other tweaks, in an attempt to reduce the “unexpected interactions” between the white cover and the internal components. As such, Apple apparently needed to sacrifice some slimness for a better functioning white phone. In the end, we have what looks to be four different size / button configurations that must be considered when purchasing a shrink-wrapped case for your white iPhone 4, black iPhone 4, white Verizon iPhone 4, or black Verizon iPhone 4. Good luck with that.
Additional reporting by Sam Sheffer
[Thanks, Jon]
Filed under: Cellphones
White iPhone 4 thickness creates issue for case makers, owners originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Pioneer AppRadio brings apps, iPhone connectivity to your dash
If Pioneer’s AppRadio (SPH-DA01) ever sees the light of day, it’ll join a long list of integrated and aftermarket products trying to play off of the iPhone’s success. According to CrunchGear (and its anonymous tipster), the FCC-leaked device boasts a 6.1-inch touchscreen and built-in apps, along with a USB port for accessing content (and presumably, the data connection) on your iOS 4.1 devices. We imagine the hardware to be similar to the 6.1-inch AVIC-X930BT that Pioneer announced at CES, including Bluetooth connectivity, a microSD card slot, and GPS functionality, in addition to an AM/FM radio and single-disc CD player. iPhone connectivity really sets this receiver apart, along with the inclusion of additional apps, such as Pandora and iHeartRadio, with the possibility of adding more apps in the future as well. We’re incredibly skeptical about the device’s GUI having any basis on the mockup image above, but if graphics are anything like those on the models we saw at CES, we don’t expect to be disappointed either.
Pioneer AppRadio brings apps, iPhone connectivity to your dash originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Shocker! Free Android apps outnumber free iPhone apps
Good news for Android users who hate paying for stuff: according to new numbers from Netherlands-based mobile analytics group Distimo, there are now more free apps available for Google’s mobile OS than the iPhone, at 134,342 to 121,845. There are a few things to consider here: first, when one adds free iPad-only apps, the total number of gratis iOS apps increases to a more competitive 132,239. And then there’s Apple’s sometimes rigorous vetting process, which has probably played a role in its numeric slippage — after all, this report doesn’t highlight things like legality, repetition, or the overall number of apps dedicated to making farting noises. Also, Apple has a lot more premium apps, giving it the overall lead at 333,124 to 206,143 — but between Android’s rapid growth and what the report terms iOS’s relative stagnation, Distimo expects Google to take the top spot in five months’ time, outnumbering iPhone and iPad apps combined — a rough scenario for Cupertino to stomach, no doubt, but at least the company will still have Windows Phone to kick around a while longer. [Source link requires registration]
Shocker! Free Android apps outnumber free iPhone apps originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.