Archive for the ‘blackberry’ Category

Gadget Lab Podcast: Droid 2, Voice Search and Carrier-Humping Surrender Monkeys

For a quick download on the top tech stories of the week, check out the latest Gadget Lab podcast — just 12 minutes long this week, yet packed with everything you need to know.

In this week’s podcast, we give you a hands-on look at the BlackBerry Torch that was introduced last week. We finally got our hands on one, posted our review of the Torch, and show you how it looks in the podcast video.

Also this week, Motorola announced its new Droid 2, which looks a lot like the old Droid. We’ve got one of these, too, and we show off its main differences in the video.

In other Android news, Google announced enhancements to Android Voice Search, so you can now use it to compose e-mail messages, text messages, search for music and more.

Special guest Ryan Singel, from Wired.com’s Epicenter and Threat Level blogs, joins us to explain the biggest tech story of the week: How Google turned into a carrier-humping net neutrality surrender monkey.

And finally, we take a quick look at the $80 Looftlighter. I was excited to test this out because the publicist said it was a “flamethrower.” In fact, it’s more like an outsized curling iron. We haven’t tested it for its intended purpose yet (starting charcoal grills and fireplace fires) but we do apply it to a business card in the studio, with disappointing results.

If anyone wants to send me a real flamethrower to test out, I’d be eager to hear from you.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our smiling faces, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to it here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #85

See Also:

• Gadget Lab Podcast: BlackBerry Torch, Universal Chargers, and More
• Wired Gadget Lab Podcast: 3-D Phones, iPhone Flaws and More
• Gadget Lab Podcast: Dell's New Tablet, Sluggish iPhone Uploads and More
• Gadget Lab Podcast: The Death of Kin and Other Wireless Drama
• Gadget Lab Podcast: Droid X, iPhone 4, Android 2.2
• Gadget Lab Podcast Returns: E3 Gadgets, Dolby 7.1 and More

Follow us for real-time tech news: Dylan Tweney and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Stats Show iPhone Owners Get More Sex

Gadget lovers have long held to the secret belief that the right camera, smartphone or large-aperture lens will make them sexier.

Now dating site OK Cupid has proof.

According to OK Cupid’s survey of 552,000 user pictures, digital SLRs make you look more attractive, Panasonic cameras make you sexier than Nikons, while using a flash will make you look 7 years older, and large-aperture lenses make you hotter.

And iPhone users have more sexual partners than BlackBerry or Android owners. By age 30, the average male iPhone user has had about 10 partners while female iPhone users have had 12. By contrast, BlackBerry users hover around 8 partners and Android users have a mere 6.

As the blog’s author’s wryly observe: “Finally, statistical proof that iPhone users aren’t just getting fucked by Apple.”

That should give iPhone and iPad users some comfort for being considered ‘selfish elites,’ as another recent survey found.

OK Cupid has been analyzing the behavior of the site’s millions of users for some time, and has discovered many interesting tidbits: People tend to lie on their profiles, people’s political preferences change as they age, and men can increase their chances of getting a date by being open to older women. The site’s massive dataset, huge volume of activity, and interesting slicing and dicing combine to produce some keen observations on human nature.

But for gadget heads, there’s no more pertinent observation than (hard) data. The Panasonic Micro 4/3 camera will make you look far more attractive than a Canon DSLR, which in turn is better than a Nikon or Sony DSLR. And forget about cameraphones: Android, Nokia, BlackBerry and Windows phones all make you look less attractive, with Motorola phones at the absolute bottom of the list.

Similarly, the type of camera you wield makes a big difference. There’s a dramatic illustration showing how the same woman looks photographed with a cameraphone, a point-and-shoot camera, and an SLR. That makes sense: As we’ve explained before, larger image sensors give you better-quality images.

Along the same lines, a larger-aperture photo lets you put the background out of focus, increasing the apparent attractiveness of the person you’re taking a picture of.

So if you wanted an excuse to buy a fancier camera with a bigger lens, OK Cupid’s got all the rationale you need.

As for switching from Android or BlackBerry to an iPhone? Well, that’s up to you. Unlike with the photos, it’s hard to tell whether iPhone use is the cause, or the effect, of having more notches in one’s bedpost.

OkTrends, via EthanZ

Image: via OKCupid

Follow us for real-time tech news: Dylan Tweney and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Research In Motion Is Testing a Tablet

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is testing a tablet that could act as a “companion” to its BlackBerry phone, says the Wall Street Journal.

The BlackBerry tablet is reportedly in the early stage of development and will tether to the the phone. Last month, the Boy Genius Report web site said the BlackBerry tablet is likely to have an 8.9-inch screen and include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Since Apple introduced the iPad in April, other PC and smartphone makers have announced that they are working on tablets of their own. In less than 60 days since the iPad was launched, Apple said it sold more than 2 million of them.

Earlier this month, Dell announced it will introduce a tablet called ‘Streak’ that will have a 5-inch display and run Google’s Android operating system. The Streak also has a SIM card so users can make calls with it. The device is currently available in the U.K. now and is expected to launch in the U.S. next month for $500.  HP is also working on a tablet computer called the HP Slate.

RIM hopes to introduce its tablet to complement its BlackBerry phones. The move evokes Palm’s failed experiment with the Foleo. In 2007, Palm announced the Foleo as a companion device to its Treo phone. The Foleo priced at $500 would sync wirelessly to Treo phones. But, after much criticism, Palm cancelled the device even before it could make it to retail shelves.

RIM’s tablet might be better received. A tablet could help RIM compete better with the latest generation of smartphones. Except for the BlackBerry Storm, RIM hasn’t released any smartphones with touchscreens. A tablet could help bridge the gap between its keyboard-focused phones and the fast growing market for touchscreen devices.

See Also:

• BlackBerry Maker Overhauls Phone Operating System
• 5 Things RIM Needs to Fix in its BlackBerries
• Gallery: 8 Tablets That Aren’t Made by Apple
• Hands-On With the Apple iPad

Photo: (ichibod/Flickr)

Storm2 now available from Verizon for those who waited

Assuming RIM and Verizon didn’t completely scorch the earth of prospective touch-screen BlackBerry buyers, some of you might like to know that Verizon’s Storm2 9550 is now ready for purchase. As expected, the Storm2 will cost you $180 after $100 on-line discount and after you prostrate yourself to a two-year tithe. Sorry original Storm owners, neither Verizon nor RIM are offering you any kind of appeasement for your early troubles — remember, according to RIM buggy smartphones are the new reality.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Storm2 now available from Verizon for those who waited originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Allerta inPulse Watch Priced And Dated

By Chris Scott Barr

Remember that interesting BlackBerry watch that I told you about last week? Details were a bit sparse, but Allerta, the gadget’s creator, has finally released some of the more important details. The watch features a 1.3-inch full color OLED display, Bluetooth 2.0, glass lens, vibrating motor (for alerts) and a microUSB port for recharging. Firmware updates will actually be done over-the-air. Battery life is expected to be around four days.

As for which phones will work, it seems that any running BlackBerryOS 4.3 or higher will be able to install the necessary application. The device will ship in February 2010 and can be pre-ordered now for $149.

[ Allerta ] VIA [ GearLog ]

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