China :: Technology

News that Google had competition for a bundle of patents being sold by bankrupt Nortel Networks surfaced a week ago and now it's official; a consortium of companies including Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, RIM and Sony won the multi-day auction with a bid of $4.5 billion. According to Reuters, RIM contributed $770 million to the effort while Ericsson is on the hook for $340 million when the deal closes, which is expected to be in the third quarter of this year. What they'll do with the over 6,000 patents and patent applications covering everything from wireless to optical to semiconductors isn't immediately clear, but what won't happen is Google using them as leverage to stave off the patent trolling hordes . Before any of that happens, the sale has to clear US and Canadian courts which is why a joint hearing has been scheduled for July 11th, so expect plenty of words -- and probably a few more cross licensing agreements -- from the involved parties by then. Contin...

It feels like we've been down this road before, but this time we may be lead to a different destination. Motorola's XT316 went through its paces at the FCC a couple months ago with Chinese 3G bands, which indicated there was seemingly no hope of the Android device seeing the light of day in the US of A. This time around, the smaller version of the Droid Pro's been given the federal go-ahead with AT&T-compatible 3G bands. Everything else appears to be the same, right down to the identical drawing of the handset's dimensions. Does this mean the XT316 will be in stock at your local store anytime soon? We can't say with certainty, but at least the government won't be standing in your way. Motorola XT316 passes second round at FCC, this time endowed with AT&T 3G originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nokia's going through some pretty awkward public growing pains . After setting its Symbian OS out to pasture in favor of Microsoft's own mobile solution , the self-proclaimed world leader in mobility is gutting even more of its old software house -- this time, its Operator Branded Messaging (OBM) service gets cut loose. Sold to mobile developer Synchronica , the white label OBM software that combines email and IM clients won't be pushing daises anytime soon thanks to a six million strong user base and continued support from Nokia Series 40 devices. Also bundled up in the sale are 250 of Nokia's former employees, as well as source code, and ten existing contracts the company hopes will lead to a "strong foothold in the...North American operator market." The deal is a sure shot in the messaging arm for the UK-based developer and is destined to become yet another footnote in Nokia's pre- Windows Phone past. Continue reading Synchronica acquires Nokia's...

Ever since Netflix launched its Watch Instantly movie streaming service residents of and visitors to Puerto Rico have been left out of the fun, but today that changed. This evening Puerto Rican disc-only subscribers began receiving this email indicating their accounts are now streaming enabled, ending their infuriating wait watching the service expand internationally to Canada and heard rumors it would reach the UK or other countries soon. Netflix confirmed the expansion to us in an email while a post by the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association -- which began agitating for the policy change about a month ago -- indicates they were successfully able to stream movies by PC and phone, although Twitter reports NBC content isn't working. Does this mean Fat Joe will drop a Roku reference on his next album, or that JJ Barea's NBA Championship celebration is finally getting under way in style? We can only hope so. Update : Per Netflix PR, this should also apply to other US Terr...

Images of a new HTC phone thats currently being dubbed Eternity have apparently been leaked online. Reportedly it will land as one of the first Windows Phone Mango devices, which are set to begin launching this fall. Reportedly, the Eternity will be powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor and will come equipped with a 4.7-inch AMOLED display a monster of a screen. Rumor has it theres also an 8-megapixel camera, HDMI-out, 16GB of onboard storage, a 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats, 512MB of RAM, and a 1,650 mAh battery. The form factor reminds us of the HTC EVO 4G, the Inspire 4G, and the HD7, which are starting to feel a bit stale. Theres no word on when the Eternity will make its debut, but as we said earlier, we have a hunch it could be sometime this fall. Read [Translated]

Many of us are perfectly content viewing only 2D content on our mobile devices, but if you've been dying to add a bit more depth to your smartphone's display, Global Wave may have just what you're looking for. At the 3D and Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo, the Japanese company demoed its Pic3D sheet, which converts your Windows-based desktop or laptop, or iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into a 3D display. The sheet uses a lenticular lens system instead of a parallax barrier for a smoother, more consistent image, yielding a reported 90-percent transmission level and 120-degree field of view. The company's Windows and iOS apps output video in a side-by-side format, simulating a 3D image. The software also allows you to view side-by-side content from the web, submitting the YouTube URL of a compatible video, for example -- perhaps not the most elegant solution, but a good start, if it works. Prices range from 2,000 (about $25) for an iPhone or iPod touch sheet, all the way u...

Google is getting a complete makeover as part of the transition to Google+ . Googles popular calendaring service is no exception. The redesigned Google Calendar, which rolled out to users on Wednesday, are designed to be just cosmetic. Google hasnt added any new features to Calendar, but instead has made it look more like Google+. Some of the changes to Google Calendar include merging the Quick Add button with the Create button, adding more icons for functions such as Print, Refresh, reminders and guests, and the removal of the Save and Discard buttons on the bottom of the page. The big change that users will notice though is the blockier interface, the changes in color and the increased use of white space for the background. In an announcement , Google says that the changes are all about removing clutter and increasing the interoperability between the desktop and mobile devices. The way people use and experience the web is evolving, and our goal is to give you a more seamless and ...

Research In Motion on Thursday said it would consider splitting its Chief Executive and Chairman roles ahead of its annual shareholder meeting next month. Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis currently each occupy both roles, and the pair have been the targets of much criticism from shareholders, analysts and the media since RIMs earnings call earlier this month . The company said in a statement that it would assemble acommitteeofindependentdirectors to study the CEO and board roles, and then make recommendations. The news follows an anonymous plea made by a senior RIM executive that was published exclusively by BGR earlier on Thursday. RIM responded by stating that the company is in a solid business and financial position to tackle the opportunities ahead, and that it is more committed than ever to serving its loyal customers and partners around the world. RIMs full press release follows below. RIM and NEI Investments Announce Withdrawal of Shareholder Proposal; RIM Committee to Review ...

Samsung's mid-sized Galaxy Tab 8.9 has been a bit elusive as of late, but it's now landed in the spot where all devices go to prepare for their big debut: the FCC. What's more, this particular model isn't just WiFi-only like the current Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- it also sports 3G connectivity, and the bands specified in the FCC filing indicate that it's likely headed to AT&T. Interestingly, we've already seen this model number (GT-P7300) pop up at the FCC before , at which point we thought it was the WiFi + 3G version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. But the more detailed sketch in this latest filing seems to depict a device that's both smaller and ever so slightly tweaked (including a relocated headphone jack), so it would seem to indeed be the 8.9 after all. 3G-equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 hits the FCC with bands for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink Droid Matters | FCC...

The next shot in the active glasses vs. passive glasses 3DTV war has been fired by LG, claiming survey results showing 4 out of 5 viewers polled preferred its technology to those offered by Sony and Samsung. According to the press release, all the displays were tested by Morpace Inc. in May at their default settings without any branding shown. Our experience with the LG LW5600 HDTV was that the passive solution was comfortable and bright, but did suffer a bit of artifacting on edges and text that we haven't spotted on active shutter glasses 3DTV. Hit the source link to pore through the data that's been made available or check out the press release and video after the break, while they argue over preference we're pretty sure the biggest challenge is convincing users to choose 3D in the first place. Continue reading LG claims 4 out of 5 viewers prefer its 3D to Sony or Samsung, whips up some new ads LG claims 4 out of 5 viewers prefer its 3D to Sony or Samsung, whips up som...

Odds are that mentions of the Skate caused your mind to immediately wander to roller derbies or marine biology, but that's clearly not the sort of imagery ZTE is looking to evoke with its forthcoming smartphone. After all, the Gingerbread device does seem a step up from the company's usual offerings, and therefore deserves a far classier name -- like the Monte Carlo. The rechristened phone will be arriving shaken, not stirred on Orange -- no word on an exact date at the moment, just "soon." The Android handset has a 4.3-inch screen, an 800MHz processor, and a five megapixel camera. From the looks of the Orange page, however, the giant Android drawing appears missing from the rear of the device. So much for class. ZTE Skate dubbed 'Monte Carlo,' will be classing it up on Orange in the UK soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

You might remember a few months ago when Twitter started telling third-party developers in no uncertain terms that they should shy away from building Twitter clients. Shortly thereafter, popular third-party client UberTwitter got a wrist-smack from Twitter, forcing a name change and a resubmission of its client for API access. If reports coming from SAI pan out to be true, then the US Federal Trade Comission is quite interested in Twitters handling of its third-party builders and trouble could be on the horizon. According to a representative from UberMedia, the parent company of UberSocial (prevously UberTwitter): We have been contacted by the FTC and are in the process of responding to their requests. SAI reports that another app maker has been advised not to talk about the matter. Im playing the role of skeptic here, though, because much of what is being reported as the cause of the investigation doesnt make sense. If we look back at the case of UberSocial, the app was accused o...

It's hard out there for a Samsung Galaxy Tab owner, watching Honeycomb slates hit the market by the bushel, with a lucky few stepping up to Android 3.1 and its resizeable widgets. Sprint, at least, is still giving the 'ol Tab some love -- according to an anonymous tipster, the Now Network will push out an update to Gingerbread, something Tab owners overseas have already been enjoying . The upgrade's expected to roll out starting July 5th, and will include not just Android 2.3, but a step up to HID Bluetooth as well. Oh, and while it's at it, Sprint will also release a fix for a bug in the Samsung Transform that has interfered with PRL and data profile updates. Sounds like as fine a way as any to beat the post-holiday weekend blues. Sprint updating the Samsung Galaxy Tab with Gingerbread on July 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gadget news, like dating and crate digging, is all about the thrill of the hunt. Sure, big press events where you get to manhandle the objects of your desire are fun, but give us Mr. Blurry Cam and some EXIF data any day. With that in mind, we present to you an out of focus pic of what looks like that tweaked Bionic and a reference to the Droid HD on Flickr, coming straight out of the Motorola campus in Libertyville, Illinois (since removed). Now, the two things are not necessarily related, but it's possible that the dual-core LTE handset is getting a new name to match its updated internals and redesigned exterior (though, if it's different inside, outside, and has a new name, is it really the Droid Bionic any more?). We do know that, what began life as the Targa , can capture 1080p video, which matches up nicely with the HD moniker. It's also possible that the pic taker is an as yet unseen device and our (moto)blurry friend above is simply a Bionic destined for another ...

As the world runs short on snarky phone titles (and in fact, starts using a couple of the gems on more than one occasion ), we're left to overlook the moniker here while focusing on what's important: that display. In fact, the 4.7-inch WVGA Super LCD shown here actually does seem to extend on for Eternity, and if HTC Inside's leak pans out, we could be looking at the world's next WP7 superphone. It's bruited that this fellow will be shipping with a single-core 1.5GHz processor, 8 megapixel camera (autofocus, dual LED flash), a 720p movie mode, front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, 16GB of storage, DLNA support, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and a 1,650mAh battery. That's a pretty startling list of features, and savvy Windows Phone followers will recognize that the Mango update will indeed be necessary before that front-facing shooter becomes useful. Needless to say, we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more, as essentials like price and release have thus far elud...

Given the number of apps Google's made available for smartphones, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that it's taken its suite of social networking services direct to the mobile world as well. As soon as Google+ was officially announced , an app was ready for download in the Android Market and a web app became available for Safari for iOS (with its full offering to the App Store coming soon). As usual, we couldn't resist the urge to play around with it , but how does the mobile iteration fare against the competition? Continue past the break to get a peek of the larger-than-life service squeezed into a 4.3-inch (or smaller) display. Continue reading Google+ for Android app (hands-on) Google+ for Android app (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

On the heels of yesterday's release of Mango for the developers out there, Facebook has finally dropped version 2 with support for push notifications -- Toast and Live Tile . For those of you that've been waiting with baited breath, included are notifications for: messages, wall posts, feed comments and replies, photo tags and replies, or in short about everything your addiction requires. We've not had a chance to light our screens up with this just yet, so why not be a dear and give it a go and let us know what you think. Facebook 2.0 finally brings push notifications to Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sure it already posed for the FCC's unflattering cameras , but now we can observe the Roku 2 HD -- with packed in MicroSD card and lightly refreshed remote -- in its natural habitat. Our tipster didn't indicate the provenance of this particular package but we'd previously heard they would start shipping to beta testers last week with an updated UI and this likely represents one of the lucky few delivered so far. The polished state of the hardware and packaging suggests the testing period is to work out any software kinks and (more likely) get in a few rounds of Angry Birds ; until we hear something about more specific you can check out a few more of shots in the gallery. [Thanks, Geraldine] Roku 2 HD struts its stuff in the wild along with a new remote originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

In the next three months, Apple is set to close the smallest of its four New York City retail stores and move it to a temporary location whilst it undergoes renovation works, ifoAppleStore reports . The landmark SoHo retail storeaccommodatesthousands of visitors each day, and rather than close the store completely, Apple hopes to divert customers to a nearby location rather than direct visitors to the its other stores within the city. The store opened in July 2002, converting a branch post office into a retail space of 21,000 square-feet. The store celebrated its five millionth visitor four years later, forcing the company to convert ground-floor space at the rear of the building as it renovates and reconfigures the first floor. The decision to overhaul its SoHo store follows Apples decision to spend$6,661,050 on installing sophisticated connection hardware, upgrading the plaza structure and then reinstalling the iconic glass cube in its Fifth Avenue store. It is not known when Apple ...

The latest update to Skype's Android application has just been rolled out and a big part of its goodie delivery is two-way video calling. Only a quartet of phones are supported right now: Google's own Nexus S, HTC's Desire S, and the Xperia Neo and Pro from Sony Ericsson, all handsets that shipped with Android 2.3 installed. We suspect the rest of the Android world won't be far behind -- Thunderbolt users will surely be wondering why they're not included in this first batch -- but for now it's just that fearsome foursome. Also included in Skype v2.0.0.45 is a UI overhaul and support for SMS messaging, neither of which suffers from any handset restrictions. Hit up the Android Market on your phone (the web Market still lists version 1) to get at the latest software. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We've just spent a little quality time with Skype 2.0 and its newfangled video calling. Notably, we couldn't get a video call to work between the...

Still obsessing about Nokia's N950 -- you know, the sexy developer-only MeeGo device you can't have? Before you let Elop rain on your parade , indulge yourself with an exhaustive 17 minute video from Thailand, dutifully documenting every nook and cranny of Espoo's ill-fated OS. The long-winded film tours the dialer, browser, and gives a peek at a plethora of camera settings -- like ISO, aspect ratio, and timers -- that we didn't get to see on the N9 . Also making an appearance are maps with turn-by-turn navigation, what appears to be a document viewer, and a Facebook app. Go on, have a gander, and dream about a luscious MeeGo future that might have been. Nokia's N950 demos MeeGo Harmattan in marathon video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

We've seemingly unearthed a whole lot of alternatronica in the past few days (not that it's a bad thing), so you'll understand when we enter yet another combatant into this abstract ring. Looking more like a complex game of Simon and almost playing like it too, Yamaha's TNR-i app apes the functionality of the Tenori-on for your iOS instrument of choice. Ringing in at a hefty 11.99 (that's $19 bills, yo), this 16 x 16 grid of orchestral lights crams six performance modes and online multiplayer functionality that more than justifies the price tag. Considering this is a CliffsNotes version of the real thing, you'll feel right at home in that amateur robot drum circle. Hit the source to get your own melodious light bright on . Yamaha's TNR-i app lights up iOS with its musical stylings, dashing looks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Amazons rumoured tablet devices are set to face production limitations as Apple continues to dominate available tablet production capacity with orders for its popular iPad 2, Digitimes reports . The retail giant has yet to officially confirm it is working to release a tablet device but Taiwan-based suppliers have already begun preparing for a number of touch panel orders by Amazon, which are expected to be released in the second half of 2011. Touch panel makers Wintek, Hannstar Display and J Touch have reportedly held talks with Amazon for the supply of touch panels, estimating that the online retailer could ship more than 4 million tablets by the end of the year. However, TPK a supplier of touch modules for Apple has not yet committed to supplying panels to Amazon due to concerns of capacity, followed by Wintek which says its production schedule could become tight in the second half of the year, after it secured a large order from Apple earlier in the year. J Touch could therefore a...

Several advocacy groups have written a letter to the Federal Communications Commission in regards to AT&Ts planned $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. The letter specifically asks FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to convene a series of field hearings around the country to hear from the people who could be most affected by the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. The advocacy groups believe that the acquisition would give AT&T nearly control of nearly 80% of the U.S. wireless market and that as such, prices would rise, jobs would be lost, and innovation would suffer. AT&Ts CEO Randall Stephenson has argued that the acquisition would result in net job growth . Sprint, one of the deals most outspoken opponents, has also said that the purchase would stifle innovation in the U.S. wireless market. The groups that signed the letter include the Consumers Union, Public Knowledge, the Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Futu...

Haptic belts and other wearable devices that can guide you may not exactly be a new idea -- we've even seen some DIY attempts -- but the US Army testing them? Well, that's something worth noting. As New Scientist reports, the Army Research Office in North Carolina is now working on just such a device (likely more advanced than the one pictured here), and hopes that the belts could eventually be used to remotely guide soldiers on the battlefield. That's done with a combination of GPS, an accelerometer and a compass -- and, of course, the haptic part of the equation, which vibrates or pulses to point the soldier in the right direction, or indicate when they're nearing their target. The idea there being to reduce the need for any handheld devices (at least until thought helmets become a reality), which can both take the soldiers' eyes off the battlefield and potentially reveal their position at night. There's still no indication as to when the belts might actua...