Author: Tymbndr

We know smartphone and tablet owners like to buy games. But if you go by a new ABI exploration of user habits, most of us aren't buying much of anything. More than 70 percent of the crowd spends little to nothing on mobile apps, dragging down the average of $14 spent per month among paying customers to a median of $7.50 when you include the skinflints. As you might imagine, that leaves the remaining 30 percent making up for a lot of slack: three percent of downloaders represent a fifth of all the spending in the mobile app world. Researchers suggest that developers focus on a long-term strategy of freemium pricing or utility apps to get more customers buying, but we imagine that writing more games about catapulting frustrated birds might just work out on its own.

Continue reading More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates

More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 02:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel is pushing out that delicious Ivy Bridge update to server chips and, interestingly, it's not focusing purely on the high end to start. In total, 28 new Xeon CPUs were introduced today, including the E5-4600 and 2400 families targeted at four and two socket systems, respectively. Those tweaked mainstream processors aren't the interesting part, though. We're more intigued by the updated E3 series, the low-end offerings that are aimed small businesses and light web-hosting duty. In particular the new E3-1220L v2 slashes power consumption to an impressive 17w by going with just two cores and only 3MB of cache. While that 3W advantage over its predecessor may not sound like much, it can make a huge difference in the microserver market and in high-density environments where cooling a room full of servers can become problematic. Even in its stripped down form the extremely low-power processor still supports Turbo Boost, Trusted Execution Technology and PCI-Express 3.0. Considering that last-gen's Atom-based server chip pulled down 15W, we'd consider the 1220L v2 an impressive feat of engineering. Now we've just gotta hope that Intel can carry through on that promised 6W Centerton chip. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers

Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might not know this, but you can literally never have enough all-terrain quadrupedal robots... at least according to us (John Connor might disagree). So, while HyQ from the Italian Institute of Technology might bear more than a passing resemblance to Boston Dynamic's Big Dog, we won't hold it against the creators. The Hydraulic Quadruped robot (HyQ for short) was first dreamed up in 2008, but the project is only now coming into its own. Researchers at IIT took the bot for a stroll outside of the confines of a laboratory and treadmill for the first time. They've also stepped up the treadmill testing by bumping up the incline and practically throwing obstacles at it. Impressively, HyQ holds his own, even as his creators pelt it with shipping pallets. Check out the video after the break to see the cybernetic crawler in action.

Continue reading HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video)

HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Itching for the details of AMD's latest Accelerated Processing Units (APUs)? Then get ready to scratch: Trinity has arrived and, as of today, it's ready to start powering the next generation of low-power ultra-portables, laptops and desktops that, erm, don't run Intel. The new architecture boasts up to double the performance-per-watt of last year's immensely popular Llano APUs, with improved "discrete-class" integrated graphics and without adding to the burden on battery life. How is that possible? By how much will Trinity-equipped devices beat Intel on price? And will it play Crysis: Warhead? Read on to find out.

Gallery: AMD reveals Trinity APU

Continue reading AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming

AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that Intel's Ivy Bridge specifications are finally out of the bag, you may as well resign yourselves to a deluge of PC refreshes over the coming months. Today Lenovo's up at bat, unveiling a slew of products under its business-friendly ThinkPad brand. If you were looking for a wholesale redesign, we'll kindly direct you to the X1, which was just reborn as a 14-inch Ultrabook. Otherwise, if you were just holding out for a little Ivy Bridge, we've got your refresh right here.

All told, the upgrades span Lenovo's ultraportable X series, mainstream "T" lineup, budget "L" models and the W-series workstation. In general, you'll find Ivy Bridge processors (natch), Dolby audio and, in some cases, optional 4G radios. Additionally, the company tweaked its famed keyboard ever-so slightly and added a backlighting option to almost every system, save the newly available T430u Ultrabook. That's the abridged version for those of you not actually in the market for a new system, but folks craving more nitty-gritty details can follow past the break for a more detailed breakdown of pricing and specs.

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad L430

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad T430, T430s and T530

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X230 and X230t

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad W530

Continue reading Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad T, W, L and X lines with Ivy Bridge processors, retooled keyboards

Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad T, W, L and X lines with Ivy Bridge processors, retooled keyboards originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's Monday, and we're on our regular day, but not our regular time. We're still going to let you listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3, but at 9:00PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat as you listen in.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:00PM ET

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:00PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week we're completely overrun by season finales -- if there's a winter show that you watch that is still airing, it's a safe bet that it will be wrapping up its run this week. Check after the break break for the dates and times on those as well as NBA and NHL playoffs action plus Blu-ray and videogame releases (we couldn't ignore Diablo 3), but there's just one finale we're highlighting this week.

Community
Even with the good news that NBC has ordered up (at least) 13 more episodes for next season, we'll be sad to see Greendale's study group leave for the summer. Season three wraps up Thursday night with an oddly disjointed three episode finale broken up by 30 Rock in the middle. While the only thing we know for sure is that they're never doing paintball again, it seems certain the finale will include healthy amounts of Officer Chang, a doppleDeaner, the appearance of Evil Troy, Jeff and Abed, and possibly a return trip to the Dreamatorium.
(May 17th, 8, 9 & 9:30PM, NBC)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (May 14th - 20th)

Must See HDTV (May 14th - 20th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony might not have taken long to find a new date in the TV scene after breaking up with Samsung late last year: if you believe Nikkei, Panasonic is the belle of the ball. The two Japanese firms are reportedly hoping to speed up the development of cheap, mass-produced OLED TVs by sharing each other's design techniques, including a Panasonic method for printing OLEDs on a scale that lets the company avoid $9,000 price tags. Neither Panasonic nor Sony has confirmed the talks, of course, and there's no guarantee a partnership will emerge even if it truly gets hot and heavy. Still, if real, we'll be on the lookout for a PanaSony OLED TV at CES in the future.

Panasonic, Sony purportedly entering into OLED TV team-up, torrid love affair originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: Sony

In a relatively strange fashion, AT&T's quietly pulled the plug on its U-verse kit for the Xbox 360 -- at least for the time being. According to a note on its own site, the company's taking some time to focus on "improving and enhancing" its U-verse bundle. This is probably a reference to the updated app (that would also require XBL Gold) AT&T promised for the new dashboard with Kinect support and a new UI, but has yet to deliver. As Multichannel points out, earlier last week Netflix had filed a complaint with the FCC, claiming that AT&T's U-verse on Xbox violated network neutrality regulations -- though, it's unclear whether this had anything to do with the outfit's decision to suspend the service. AT&T has said the set-top kit won't "be available until the new enhancements and functionality are added," so we'd recommend not holding your breath for too long.

AT&T stops offering Xbox 360 U-verse bundle until it can deliver an updated version originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: Microsoft

While he might not be the first human to admit unfamiliarity with Apple's AirPlay, he's likely to be one of the most recognizable figures amongst the bunch. In a recent interview, Time Warner Cable's CEO, Glenn Britt, said one of the main challenges faced by digital video was the lack of simple ways to stream internet-based content to television sets. Naturally, that brought up the imminent question about Cupertino's streaming goods, to which he responded by saying "I'm not sure what AirPlay is," also adding that "the current Apple TV, the little thing, the hockey puck, really doesn't do anything to help enable you to get internet material on your TV." Furthermore, he went on to say, "I hate set-top boxes," as he believes smart TVs are a better streaming solution compared to other bits that require additional hardware. Perhaps this explains why the TWC iOS apps are still missing out on some much-needed AirPlay action.

Time Warner Cable's CEO doesn't know what AirPlay is, hates set-top boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While EVs come in all shapes and sizes, one thing seems to remain constant -- a witty electricity pun. This time up its Ample, and its "Eo" e-quadrimotorcycle. A quadri-ma-whatcycle? Basically, a light, low-powered four-wheeled electric vehicle. The Eo's 40 miles per hour top speed might not be teeth-rattlingly fast, but it means it can eke out 124 miles on a single charge. Essentially, it's a single seated vehicle, but there are two fold-out chairs in the back if you want to make things even more cosy, while other gizmos on board include backward-facing cameras that pipe into a screen on the dash, replacing the need for mirrors. The Eo was on display at EVS26 in California, but no word on if, or when, we can expect to see this cutting us up on the school run.

Ample's cute 'Eo' EV is the world's first e-quadrimotorcycle, we hope not the last originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don't let that headline fool you: although Lenovo technically just unveiled one product, the ThinkStation E31 workstation, it actually shoehorned two distinct machines into one press release. Behold: a budget workstation available as a conventionally sized tower, as well as compact one. Whichever you choose, both support up to 32GB of RAM and are available with either an Intel Xeon E3-1200 CPU or a range of Ivy Bridge processors. Regardless of the size, you'll get nine USB ports, including four of the 3.0 variety. And, in addition to Windows 7 / XP, they're Windows 8-ready, and can run Red Hat as well.

It's at this juncture, though, that the specs start to diverge, with the heftier machine naturally offering more expandability. The full-size tower, for instance, can accommodate up to three HDDs, or 9TB of hard drive storage, while the smaller number makes room for two HDDs, or 6TB of space. (Either way, you can opt for solid-state drives.) On the graphics front, both will be offered with Intel's HD P4000 solution, but the upgrade options once again differ: expect a max offering of NVIDIA Quadro Q4000 graphics on the tower, and Quadro Q600 on the smaller guy. Intrigued? Both systems will start at $629, with the fuller-sized tower arriving on June 5th and the compact model following on June 13th.

Continue reading Lenovo shows off ThinkStation E31 workstation in two different sizes

Lenovo shows off ThinkStation E31 workstation in two different sizes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobo is the underdog trying to scrape points while the e-reader heavy hitters of Amazon and B&N duke it out. The Vox was the Canadian outfits response to the Nook and Kindle Fire, but despite a similar price tag, our e-reader expert found that its last-generation hardware was no match for the big boys. That said, plenty of people must have bought them so tell us; how has it been? Do you regret shunning the other two for it, or does it have hidden charms that we didn't see first time around? Let us know in the comments below.

How would you change the Kobo Vox? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What seems more futuristic: flying cars or self-driving cars? They both sound a bit like science fiction, but they're both getting closer to becoming a reality. In the latest chapter of Google's efforts to develop a car that uses video cameras, radar sensors and lasers to navigate through traffic, the state of Nevada just granted Google the world's first license for a computer-controlled, driverless Toyota Prius. Meanwhile, this week we also checked in on the PAL-V (which stands for "Personal Air and Land Vehicle"), a two-seat hybrid car and gyroplane that runs on gas, biodiesel or bio-ethanol. In other transportation news, the Texas Central Railroad floated a plan to build a $10-billion bullet train that would run between Houston and Fort Worth, and Toyota officially unveiled its second-generation 2012 RAV4 EV, which features a Tesla powertrain.

We also saw green technology cropping up in unexpected places this week, like the $1-billion ghost town that will be built on virgin desert land in Lea County, New Mexico to test emerging green technologies. Construction on the ghost town is set to begin in late June. Milwaukee native Bryan Cera invented Glove One, a 3D-printed glove that doubles as a cell phone. And in Tokyo, participants heaved 100,000 LED lights into the Sumida River as part of the 2012 Tokyo Hotaru Festival. Although it certainly looked cool, that's a lot of LED bulbs to literally dump in the river, and it raises some questions about e-waste. GE found a more practical use for LEDs, unveiling a new LED light bulb to replace the 100-watt incandescent.

Continue reading Inhabitat's Week in Green: self-driving cars, solar parasols and the ultimate DIY Iron Man suit

Inhabitat's Week in Green: self-driving cars, solar parasols and the ultimate DIY Iron Man suit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 21:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of May 7th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of May 7th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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