The Xappr, because your smartphone doesn't look enough like a gun

You love your smartphone -- and who can blame you, really? There's seemingly no limit to what it can do. But ask yourself this: does it look enough like a gun? The answer is almost certainly a big, fat "no." Thankfully, the Xappr is on its way from Metal Compass, set to help smartphones everywhere live up to their full laser gun potential. The company tells us that the accessory will work with iPhones and Android and Windows handsets (though only iOS and Android games are available, at present). Metal Compass expects to ship the thing in June, but you can pre-order one now, if you dare, for the low, low price of $30 (plus a full $15 in shipping, here in the States). Shoot past the break for a press release.

Continue reading The Xappr, because your smartphone doesn't look enough like a gun

The Xappr, because your smartphone doesn't look enough like a gun originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/01/the-xappr-because-your-smartphone-doesnt-look-enough-like-a-gu/

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PowerDVD 12 brings syncing and transcoding for mobile devices

It's been less than a year since CyberLink revealed PowerDVD 11 and now along comes PowerDVD 12. Among the new features in 12 is the ability to sync media -- we can only assume this excludes protected content -- to PowerDVD Mobile for Android as well as automatically transcode videos for most of the popular mobile devices. Said mobile clients are only free, though, if you opt of the $99 Ultra version of PowerDVD. PowerDVD Mobile is available for everyone else for $19.99, as well as PowerDVD Remote for $4.99. Overall it seems like an iterative update that might not hit the spot at $45 (for an upgrade), but there are other new features like OGG and FLAC support that might just push you over the edge.

Continue reading PowerDVD 12 brings syncing and transcoding for mobile devices

PowerDVD 12 brings syncing and transcoding for mobile devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/01/powerdvd-12-brings-syncing-and-transcoding-for-mobile-devices/

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Disney Mobile on DoCoMo brand launches with two new Android phones in Japan

It appears Disney's mobile efforts in Japan are going pretty well, and with the help of carrier NTT DoCoMo they're expanding under the joint "Disney Mobile on DoCoMo" brand name. The partnership is kicking off with two new Android-powered handsets launching over the next couple of months that pack in access to exclusive content from Disney like full-length animations, games, wallpapers and more. First up is the F-08D (left), a "luxury smartphone" that features silhouettes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a 4.3-inch HD (720x1280) LCD display, dual cameras and 1.2Ghz dual-core OMAP4430 CPU available in pink or white next month with preorders opening up February 17th. Next up is the P-05D (right), which has a slim 7.8mm thick frame, rear camera and 4.3-inch 540x960 res OLED screen all powered by a dual-core 1Ghz CPU that will launch at some point in March. Check out the press releases after the break for a few more details on each of these Japan-only cellphones, or hit the source link for even more specs -- no word yet on pricetags or which version of Android these will end up launching with.

Continue reading Disney Mobile on DoCoMo brand launches with two new Android phones in Japan

Disney Mobile on DoCoMo brand launches with two new Android phones in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/31/disney-mobile-on-docomo-brand-launches-with-two-new-android-phon/

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RIM welcomes Office 365 users into the fold with BlackBerry Business Cloud Services

For wary Office 365 enterprises who've been reluctant to dip their toes into the beta pond, today will certainly be memorable in the IT room: Research in Motion has gone ahead and blessed BlackBerry Business Cloud Services as ready for prime time. The software, which has been in beta stage since October, allows BlackBerry users to easily integrate with their firm's Office 365 deployment. Users can expect synchronization with their Exchange email, contacts and calendars, along with the ability to remotely wipe or lock their data should the device go missing. Likewise, IT gurus may take advantage of remote administration and wireless activation of the handsets. The software is free and will work for all medium-sized and enterprise subscribers of Office 365. So go ahead and uncork that dusty bottle of champagne, or absent that, feel free to flavor up the Folgers a bit. The press release just after the break, and you'll definitely want to prepare yourself.

Continue reading RIM welcomes Office 365 users into the fold with BlackBerry Business Cloud Services

RIM welcomes Office 365 users into the fold with BlackBerry Business Cloud Services originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/01/rim-welcomes-office-365-users-into-the-fold-with-blackberry-busi/

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Nikon outs new Coolpix trio: L810 with 26x zoom, waterproof S30 and Intelligent Auto L26

Point-and-shoot refreshes may not get you all hot and bothered like some new, networked DSLRs might, but Nikon's doing its best to reinvigorate the category. Announced today, the new line of Coolpix digital cameras crams an assortment of dedicated features -- Intelligent Auto, ultra-zoom and ruggedization -- into a spread of budget-friendly, 720p HD-capable offerings. The leader of this updated bunch, the L810, combines a 26x (22.5mm-585mm) lens, 19 exposure settings and a 3-inch LCD screen with VR image stabilization for users who want to get up close and personal without compromising detail. While the bar-lowering L26 makes the art of imaging a bit simpler and removes that pesky need for photographic know-how, capturing pictures using a 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens in tandem with its array of automatically-selected scene modes. And for the accident prone amongst you amateur Ansel Adamses, the company's S30 packs a 10.1MP sensor and 3x wide angle lens into a drop-resistant, waterproof shell. These three digital imaging amigos are available starting this February in an assortment of colors, with the L810 retailing for $280 and its category siblings pegged for $120 each. Head on past the break to peruse the official presser and get the lowdown on the extended feature set.

Gallery: Nikon Coolpix L810, L26 and S30

Continue reading Nikon outs new Coolpix trio: L810 with 26x zoom, waterproof S30 and Intelligent Auto L26

Nikon outs new Coolpix trio: L810 with 26x zoom, waterproof S30 and Intelligent Auto L26 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/31/nikon-outs-new-coolpix-trio-l810-with-26x-zoom-waterproof-s30/

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Amazon announces Q4 2011 results: sales jump to $17.43 billion, but profits drop 58 percent

Amazon's just announced its earnings for the fourth quarter of the year, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. While net sales were up 35 percent year-over-year to $17.43 billion, net income dropped a hefty 58 percent to $177 million, or 38 cents a share -- that's off analysts' expectations, who were looking for sales in the neighborhood of $18.3 billion and earnings of 17 cents a share. As always, the company is remaining mum on any specific Kindle sales figures, but it says that sales of all Kindle devices nearly tripled over the holiday shopping season, and that the Kindle Fire remains the bestselling item across all of the products it offers; of course, the loss it's taking on each one is also one of the big reasons for that drop in profits.

Specific figures are equally hard to come by for some of Amazon's other services, but the company says the number of Appstore for Android customers has nearly tripled from the previous quarter (with them downloading more apps in Q4 than all of the previous quarters combined), and that the number of Instant Video customers has more than doubled year-over-year (with the number of streams increasing 300 percent from the previous quarter). Looking at the full year, sales for all of 2011 totaled $48.08 billion, up 41 percent from $34.2 billion in 2010, while net income dropped 45 percent to $631 million (down from $1.15 billion in 2010). And as for the future, Amazon is also lowering expectations somewhat for the first quarter of 2012, projecting that revenue will come in at $12 to $13.4 billion, and that net income could range from a $200 million loss to a gain of $100 million.

Continue reading Amazon announces Q4 2011 results: sales jump to $17.43 billion, but profits drop 58 percent

Amazon announces Q4 2011 results: sales jump to $17.43 billion, but profits drop 58 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/31/amazon-announces-q4-2011-results-sales-jump-to-17-43-billion/

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HTC Ville gets hands-on en Francais, is presumably practicing its Spanish for MWC (video)

While we're still a few weeks away from annual phone festival, MWC, it's these weeks in the run-up that often draw out blurrycam appetizers of what we'll see over in Barcelona. This time, it's no other than the HTC Edge Ville, that rumored divergent mix of quad-core processing bulk and slimline form-factor: something we don't typically see the unibody-armored HTC family. In the leaked video, you'll be getting a look at a heavily disguised version of Ice Cream Sandwich, covered in contentious (but new!) Sense sauce. The mysterious handset mole is also kind enough to pay a visit to the phone's specification list, confirming, at least if this is the finished article, an eight megapixel camera, 4.3-inch qHD display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Alas, it looks like this isn't going to be the rumored quad-core debut from the Taiwanese phone maker, although going on past form, it won't shock us if the company reveals a whole line-up of handsets for us to meddle with next month. Take the tour yourself -- it's right after the break.

Update: Looks like the original video has been unceremoniously switched to private. Fortunately, we managed to grab a copy beforehand.

Continue reading HTC Ville gets hands-on en Francais, is presumably practicing its Spanish for MWC (video)

HTC Ville gets hands-on en Francais, is presumably practicing its Spanish for MWC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/31/htc-ville-gets-hands-on-en-francais-is-presumably-practicing-it/

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