What we're watching tonight:
HDTV Listings for July 31, 2010 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Radio Shack is at it again, expanding your perceptions of the place that once actually sold radio components. A year after that ill-received 'The Shack' marketing campaign the company is now making a rather more substantial move, securing an arrangement with Target stores to see the creation of so-called Bullseye Mobile kiosks. This has started with a 100-store pilot program but, throughout this year and into summer next, the expectation is to prop them up in 1,750 big box locations. Something tells us they won't all be wired up for WiMAX, but we can hope.
[Thanks, Breon]
'The Shack' downsizes, opens Bullseye Mobile kiosks in many Target stores originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We heard you loud and clear, last time we asked, most preferred the comfort of their custom home theater setup to a day at the ballpark, and teams must have too, as they have have responded accordingly. A New York Times story about the new Meadowlands notes new stadiums have made massive high definition scoreboards, smartphone apps and other enhancements a part of their business, along with everyday-sized HDTVs everywhere you go within the concourse and luxury suites. The USA Today wants to know what you think gives the best angle on gameday, and so do we. Is new technology enough to bring people back to the ballpark or at least ease the trend of fans staying home? Let us know if you're tailgating this season, or just plopping down on the couch for a few hours.
Poll: Is it live or is it HDTV, how do you want to watch sports this season? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
After being announced in early June, Anandtech recently put the Western Digital WD TV Live Plus through its paces and discovered the Netflix enhancement works as advertised. Like many Netflix-enabled devices though, the TV Live comes up short compared to the full PC experience since access is limited to only the Instant Queue. Its presence also sacrifices firmware hackability -- a quality which previously made up for the WD TV Live's lack of versatility as an HTPC. The ability to move, copy, and manage locally stored media files via the interface, on the other hand, was praised as a unique advantage over competing models -- exciting, we know. Sadly, video quality was docked as being "significantly less than the HTPC counterparts they've seen so far." However, it's possible this could be improved in the future via firmware updates, since its Sigma Designs processor features noise reduction and deinterlacing algorithms that strangely aren't currently enabled. File format-wise, DVD ISOs worked flawlessly, while Blu-ray ISO and some WMV video formats experienced issues that users may want to read up on before buying. Gripes aside though, Anandtech was still willing to place it "around the top of the list" for media player devices, thanks to its wide file compatibility and robust features. For more details, hit the review source link.
WD TV Live Plus gets reviewed, lauded for value originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
It doesn't have the X10's beefy spec sheet -- nor the X10 mini's cute-as-a-button looks -- but if you're looking for a midrange Android device that's a little lighter on the pocketbook, you might want to keep your eyes glued to O2 in the UK where the X8 is now slated for a September launch. Pricing hasn't been announced, but considering that it tops out with a 3.2 megapixel camera and will go unsubsidized for €259, we imagine you won't need to spend very much on your monthly plan to get it for free. Let's hope it comes off Android 1.6 rather quickly, eh?
Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 coming to O2 UK in September originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Oh, Enso -- must you really give us a reason to hope? After dealing with what felt like a case of the vaporwares, and then being epically disappointed with the zenPad (which is now out of stock, curiously) that you finally shipped, we just can't muster up the courage to look fondly upon the five new products that are gracing your webstore. That said, those that don't mind risk taking and actually enjoy the thought of fighting for a refund have three new MIDs / slates to ponder along with a pair of Android-based smartphones to consider. Let's break 'em down real quick, shall we?
[Thanks, Neil]
Enso whips up two smartphones and three new slates, but we wouldn't order any of 'em originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Our own Myriam Joire was in the thick of things for Canada's iPhone 4 launch today out in lovely Vancouver, and as you might expect, hysteria was reaching... well, iPhone 4 levels. Lines formed early and stayed strong through much of the day, and generally, camaraderie seemed high -- always a good thing when you're standing a foot away from the same handful of people in summer heat for hours on end. As you might expect, the wait for subsidized phones was longer than for the considerably pricier unlocked ones. Weren't able to make it yourself? Aren't Canadian? Want to pretend for a few sweet moments that you are? Follow the break for our video!
Continue reading iPhone 4 launch day in Canada: the experience
iPhone 4 launch day in Canada: the experience originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The pool of choices for WiMAX hotspots continues to expand, and thanks to the FCC, we now know of another up-and-comer. The Rover Puck -- trademarked by Clearwire and previously unheard of -- joins the ranks Sprint's Overdrive and its various rebrandings by providing pocketable 4G WiFi service. Unlike its predecessors, however, we finally have a new, more aerodynamic form factor. There isn't much to the glean from the user manual at this point, and the oft-referenced Rover website still isn't live -- a WHOIS lookup reveals it was last updated via GoDaddy on July 2008 with no other details disclosed. So, until we get some word from the official news pipelines, a plethora of external / internal photos and user manual screenshots are only a mouseclick away.
Rover Puck WiMAX hotspot gets FCC'd, traction on ice subject of fierce debate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Don't have the NFL Network but still want to catch every single pre-season NFL game in HD? Well you finally have an option with NFL Preseason Live. It'll cost you $40 for the over 50 live broadcasts, as well as on demand access, but what is particularly cool is access to either team's radio broadcast (we assume it is synced up to the video) as well as enhancements like Big Play Markers -- whatever that is. If you click through you can get a taste of what it's like by watching last year's Super Bowl, looks good up to 3Mbps. Now before you get all excited about the idea that this is a prelude to regular season games coming to the internet, just hold on there. The pre-season games are night and day when compared to regular season when you're talking licensing rights. While the regular season rights are part of some of the biggest TV deals ever, the pre-season rights are usually sold to local affiliates; which always makes it fun to see the quality of the broadcast with considerably smaller budgets.
NFL to stream every pre-season game in HD for $40 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Like we said, you don't have to wait until August 3rd to get your Android 2.2 Froyo update for the EVO 4G. You can grab the update file right now from HTC's servers (via source link). All you gotta do then is move the file to the root directory of your SD card, boot the phone into recovery mode (hold the "up" button while the phone is turning on), and select apply update from the associated .zip file -- you might also have to rename the file "update.zip" and expect a few other variations in the instructions, user depending. Too much thought process for Friday evening? Feel free to take a crack at it tomorrow, or simply wait for Sprint to give your phone the head's up next week.
Update: HTC just shot us a message to clarify that this is not the final ROM version and that the company is strongly recommending not to install this. Additionally, a request has been put in to remove the file from the server, so if you still want to try at your own risk, better download now while it's still available.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
EVO 4G's Froyo firmware now available for download, manual installation (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
