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We've had plenty of leaks over the last few months highlighting the looming launch of AT&T's new femtocell service, and today AT&T officially announced the product. AT&T's new "Microcell" won't be officially available until "mid-April." The device, as we've well-discussed, in effect creates a miniature cell tower in your home, allowing users to route wireless calls over their home broadband connection. The service is particularly useful for those who suffer from poor cell reception in their homes. For carriers, femtocells help ease congestion on local towers. Pricing for AT&T's Microcell is about in line with what trial participants have been reporting since last fall, with the device costing $150. If you're an existing AT&T wireless customer, you can get $100 off that price if you sign up for $20 a month service. That $20 a month allows you to make unlimited domestic calls over your home broadband connection. Those who don't want to pay $20 a month (plus wireless plan) can pay the full $150 for the device, but calls made via the Microcell will eat away at your AT&T wireless minutes. As we complained with Verizon's "Network Extender" femto-based product, eating away at user minutes when consumers are using their own bandwidth to make the call -- while saving carriers money on wireless tower bandwidth -- never seems to get any less absurd. According to AT&T, new users to AT&T can get the device for free after mail in rebates if they sign up for the $20 a month plan, and sign up for new AT&T DSL or U-verse service of 1.5 Mbps or faster. The device, which supports up to ten devices authorized by the user, has a range of approximately 5,000 feet according to AT&T (barring interference or obstruction). We'll of course bring you user impressions of the device when it officially launches next month. While femtocells offer promise for those in homes with limited reception, carriers seemed determined to price them so that they suck all the value out of the proposition for consumers. That, unsurprisingly, has resulted in the femtocell not really taking off the way analysts had predicted. AT&T's Microcell pricing certainly doesn't change this equation. read comment(s) <br clear=all>

So, give this a listen -- a survey from the lairs of Sybase has found that among smartphone-owning respondents (770 of 2,443 polled), some 52.3 percent of them "would use a tablet device such as the Apple iPad is for working on the go." We fully understand that this phrase leaves open the possibility of using tablets not Designed in Cupertino, but the mere fact that it's highlighted gave us pause. We're still trying to figure out how exactly Apple's forthcoming tablet is going to fit between our daily laptop and workhorse-of-a-smartphone, and without a major overhaul of the iPhone OS, we definitely can't visualize ourselves using it for "work." 'Course, maybe they're into something that doesn't require the use of multiple applications at once, and maybe the dearth of a real keyboard isn't much of a productivity killer, but we're just not sold on the iPad being a bona fide work machine as-is. So, what say you? Are you one of those 52.3 percenters? Or do you relate more with the vocal minority?Survey finds people eager to 'work on the go' with iPad, we wonder what line of 'work' they're in originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink Apple Insider | Sybase | Email this | Comments

Sony has never been one to mince words when it comes to Nintendo, and it looks like the company's newly announced Nintendo 3DS is no exception. Speaking with IGN, SCEA Director of Hardware and Marketing John Koller confirmed that Sony's "focus on 3D right now is on the console," and added that "the amount of interest in 3D from the retail side and game publishers is off the charts." No surprise there, but things get a bit more interesting when Koller is asked about the 3DS, with him saying that while he thinks "it's an interesting move", he'd "like to see where they go from a demographic standpoint," adding that "8 and 9 year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now." Of course, Nintendo usually gives as good as it gets, and it should have plenty to say when the 3DS makes it debut at E3 later this year.Sony's Koller says Nintendo 3DS is a 'bit of a stretch,' no plans for 3D PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink Joystiq | IGN | Email this | Comments

Hear that, kids? Tony Melone -- Verizon Wireless' Senior VP and CTO -- confirmed to us during a one-on-one meeting after the company's CTIA roundtable discussion that every last one of its data-only LTE WWAN devices (aircards, MiFi-type products and USB data sticks, for example) would also support 3G. Not too surprising given the natural ties between the two technologies, but it's still refreshing to hear that every 4G data-only product that launches (at least initially) on VZW will also be able to hop onto the company's 3G network if you just so happen to break away from an LTE area. Can't say that for a smattering of existing WiMAX products. In related news, Tony also affirmed that Verizon would be "interested" in getting a smartphone on its LTE network that could double as a mobile hotspot, exactly how the Palm Pre Plus does now (but on 3G, obviously). As for pricing when it comes to LTE data rates? Tony wouldn't give us any indication of the carrier's plans, but if it's anything similar to whispers we've heard in the past (not to mention rates already seen through Clearwire), it'll probably be at least marginally more expensive than what you're paying today for third-generation access.Verizon Wireless: 'all' 4G WWAN devices will support 3G, too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Remember those LTE trials that Verizon Wireless started up in Boston and Seattle back in August of last year? Good news, mobile surfers -- the operator has today confirmed in a roundtable at CTIA that they're both nearing their end, giving us hope that they're gleaned the necessary information from them to start moving onto bigger and better things. Namely, more elaborate trials in more locales around the nation. As you might expect, Verizon Wireless is indeed gearing up to move into its next phase of commercial LTE testing, with Tony Melone (Senior VP / CTO) stating that 'friendly user trials' were slated to begin this summer. He declined to elaborate on the whos, whats and (most importantly) wheres, but there's no doubt that these are likely the last hurdles before we see its 4G network go live in "one third" of the country. We're told that those tests will be used to kick the tires on "commercial" gear, which is starkly different than the non-commercial kit that has been used in Beantown and the Emerald City. So far, the company's seeing peak rates of around 40Mbps and 50Mbps (down), with average download rates hovering in the 5Mbps to 12Mbps range and upload speeds falling between 2Mbps and 5Mbps. Be sure to let us know if any undercover VZW engineers start installing weird antennas near your abode in the coming months, cool?Verizon 'wrapping up' Boston and Seattle trials, 'friendly user' ones coming this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Remember when we heard that Verizon Wireless just might be able to bump its commercial LTE rollout to the first quarter of 2010? Man, talk about having our hopes and dreams dashed. Here at CTIA, we heard a few details on the company's most up-to-date deployment plans, and it sounds like things are pretty well locked into place at this point. Tony Melone, the company's Senior Vice President and CTO, seemed remarkably enthused that a bona fide LTE network would be launching "in the not too distant future," and when pressed for specifics, he stated that they would launch "25 to 30 networks this year, covering one third of America by the end of 2010." Beyond that, we're looking at a footprint twice that size "15 months" after the initial rollout, and by the end of 2013, the company's 4G coverage map will be the same size, "if not larger," than its existing 3G map. Of course, the carrier insisted that they wouldn't be abandoning 3G advancement while being fixated on 4G, noting that it was moving "fast and aggressively" on both fronts, with hopes that its LTE network would eventually eclipse even the 3G networks (in terms of coverage size) of competitors. Them's bold words, VZW, and we'll be carefully watching to see if that really does come to fruition.Verizon to blanket 'one third' of America with LTE this year, double coverage in 15 months originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Both Verizon and AT&T have made it clear that they want to ditch the current (sort of flat rate) wireless pricing system to one that involves more caps and per-byte overages. That's (and sorry to repeat ourselves) because carriers want to prepare for the inevitable revenue losses they'll see as mobile VoIP and push IM clients begin to erode voice and SMS revenues. The carriers pitch these changes as being about fairness and even altruism, and it works. Many people (and reporters) hear the sales pitch for these pricing models and think carriers are talking about pure per-byte billing -- where grandma gets a tiny little bill because she only checks the Weather Channel. That's just not the case. Just like in the terrestrial broadband market, carriers aren't interested in pure pure-byte billing because the vast majority of their users don't use very much data, and would pay lower bills. What executives and investors really want is a funnel-like pricing model that pushes all users toward higher monthly bills, by using mandatory data plans for most phones and unreasonably-low caps on base tiers. This acts to herd consumers to pricier tiers under the illusion of value. So far most of this rhetoric about a need to change wireless pricing has originated from AT&T and Verizon (and influential sector stock jocks like Craig Moffett). But Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, whose company has actually been using flat rate pricing to compete with AT&T and Verizon through both Sprint and Clear, has suddenly joined the wireless sector chorus. Hesse says wireless industry billing is moving from minutes to gigabytes in two years, whether you like it or not:Sprint Nextel Chief Executive Dan Hesse said that in about two years, monthly cellphone bills will focus on the amount of data used and move away from the number of available voice minutes. Sprint has already driven much of that migration with its own aggressive rate plans, which lump in unlimited data, minutes and text messages at a single, flat-rate price.Of course many people believe the idea of voice minutes will be dead before long. And replacing this model with a pure per-byte billing model that offers value would be one thing, but when executives begin dreaming about charging by the gigabyte, you need to study the proposed pricing models carefully. It's strange that Hesse would be eager for the end of a flat-rate pricing model when it's the very thing they're using (under both the Sprint and Clear brands) to compete with AT&T and Verizon. In fact Clearwire executive Dow Draper spent yesterday at CTIA using unlimited flat-rate service as a selling point for Clear:Clearwire does have customers that use far more than 7 GB a month, though Draper wouldn t give any specific numbers. So far, Clearwire has taken no measure to restrict excessive usage even if the operational costs of delivering that data exceed the revenues it makes from a particularly high-volume user. Clearwire s attitude is that if the capacity is there and it s not being consumed by others, its customers are free to browse, download and stream to their hearts content, Draper said.Neither AT&T and Verizon have officially announced LTE pricing, in part because they're curious to see what kind of pricing consumers will tolerate. If you tell them that low caps and high overages are a good value by buying their service, guess what kind of pricing model you're going to get? Consumers are going to have to pay close attention and ask lots of questions (will my unused gigabytes roll over?) as the wireless data pricing of tomorrow gets hashed out. read comment(s) <br clear=all>

Today the incumbent phone and cable carriers hosted a roundtable forum, sponsored by The Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy and the Technology Policy Institute. The "discussion," which featured a smattering of academics for legitimacy's sake and no consumer advocates, was a who's who of incumbent telecom lobbyists and hired think tankers. Most of the forum's participants spent their time praising the FCC's new broadband plan, which as we've discussed, is a good sign the plan fails to rattle the status quo or tackle competition. AT&T's chief lobbyist Jim Cicconi, who surely had a lion's share of input into the plan, repeatedly praised the FCC's "fact-driven" approach to policy, though only apparently if the facts in question were approved by AT&T. At around 4:45 in this video, Cicconi can barely hold back a laugh at the failure of the open access push. That failure was, in part, thanks to the FCC's Blair Levin, who recently admitted the FCC (or at least Levin), lacked the courage to challenge carriers like AT&T in court. Specifically, Cicconi claims Harvard researcher Yochai Benkler has "the faint whiff of sour grapes." Why? Because in an editorial last weekend, Benkler complained that the FCC essentially ignored his study. Said study contained data that argued that open access policies lead to competition and lower prices across global markets. In France, for instance, open access policies led to multiple Parisian fiber companies competing, which resulted in prices plummeting (as in, 100Mbps/50Mbps fiber service, VoIP and IPTV bundles for $40 a month). AT&T's clearly happy the FCC ignored this data, and hopes the trend continues. Back in 2007, lobbyists like AT&T's Cicconi and Verizon's Tom Tauke didn't want a broadband plan. Now that there is one, the baby bells' focus will obviously be on shaping it to their liking as the FCC begins the gladiatorial effort of actual rule making. For the baby bells, this means less regulation of incumbents, more regulation for threats like Google, weakened FCC authority, and changing the USF so more money goes to AT&T and Verizon. Of course Cicconi and Tauke can't just say this is their goal, so they work hard to dress up simple revenue-driven lobbying as altruism and consumer advocacy. Ever since the FCC began crafting a broadband plan and thinking about network neutrality protections, Verizon's top lobbyist Tom Tauke has toned down his rhetoric from recent years, in the hopes of stalling new consumer protections. Tauke's now taken a strong fancy to saying things that sound quite consumer friendly (empowered consumers!), provided you completely ignore Verizon's long history of anti-competitive behavior, or their recent decision to literally hang up on millions of rural customers. Luckily for Verizon and Tauke, the press usually does. Today saw Tauke pour it on particularly thick in his speech at a forum. In his turn at the microphone, a lobbyist for a company not known to be gentle when crushing competitors underfoot, magically became a huge fan of the broadband plan, consumer advocacy, and even arch-enemy Google:Consumers must be fully empowered. Any new policy should put the users in charge. Consumers should have the ability to choose the devices and software they want, access whatever lawful content and applications they need, and obtain the products and services they desire on the move or at home. Empowered consumers are also well-informed consumers, who are able to make choices and decisions based on easily understood language and transparent business practices.So, by empowered consumers, Tauke must be referring to consumers being allowed to use applications that Verizon hasn't intentionally crippled to prop up dying business models? And by "transparent business practices," Tauke must be referring to milking consumers for millions of dollars by using a computer glitch Verizon is fully aware of? And when Tauke talks about "finding common ground with Google," he must mean paying "consultants" to smear them? And by "informed consumers," Verizon must be referring to the consumers they fight in court to prevent getting access to broadband mapping data? Tauke's call for overhaul of telecom policy is not new -- the laws do need to be changed to incorporate the litany of changes facing the sector, most of which involve the eventual waning power of Tauke's employer. However, given Verizon's history -- it's unlikely any reasonable, "informed" consumer wants Verizon dictating those changes. Meanwhile, there's a huge chasm between what a lobbyist says, and what the company they lobby for actually does. And again, luckily for AT&T and Verizon, nobody in the press is going to really bother to point that out as the baby bells "participate" in crafting the finer details of the broadband plan. read comment(s) <br clear=all>

Well, it looks like AT&T is maintaining a steady pace with its non-cellphone news during CTIA (in addition to cellphone news, of course), with it now following up yesterday's announcements with another three. That includes a deal with OpenPeak that will see AT&T provide 3G service for the company's OpenTablet device (now slated to be available in "late 2010"), and an agreement with Zeebo to provide mobile broadband for the company's gaming / entertainment / education console. That's currently only available Brazil and Mexico, but Zeebo is apparently "planning for commercial opportunities in the domestic market " sometime next year. Rounding things out (for now) is a deal with American Security Logistics, which has announced that it will be using AT&T to wirelessly connect a whole range of location-based tracking devices -- including everything from cargo shipments to pet tracking to Alzheimer's patient monitoring. Alright, AT&T. Anything else left up your sleeve? A 3G-equipped sleeve, perhaps? AT&T announces deals with OpenPeak, Zeebo, American Security Logistics originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | OpenPeak, Zeebo, American Security Logistics | Email this | Comments

We've seen so many e-book readers of late that it's difficult to get excited about another, but Kobo's angle here might just make the Kobo eReader worth a look. Kobo's game is ecosystem, and in fact it doesn't plan on making a big splash in the actual e-reader market, since it's primarily about building branded software and delivering branded e-book stores for others, including manufacturers (like Plastic Logic), and booksellers (like Borders). Still, the 6-inch E Ink reader is fine hardware in its own right, with quality plastics throughout, a nice patterned rubber back, and a big friendly d-pad for paging through books. The device is actually laid out to mitigate accidental button presses -- even the menu buttons labelled on the front are actually located on the side of the device. As far as software and capabilities, the device is utterly barebones, but at least it keeps its aesthetics throughout, and everything seems responsive and intuitive. There's no 3G onboard (you sync your e-pub titles with a desktop app over USB), no specific word on storage (our guess is in the 1GB to 4GB range), and there don't seem to be any other activities available to reading books. Hopefully you're into that sort of thing, and Kobo at least pre-loaded 100 public domain titles to get you started. The unit will be sold at Borders this summer for $149, preceded by Indigo Books & Music in Canada in May. Meanwhile, Kobo isn't neglecting its devices strategy. It already has BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, Mac, and PC (and some others we're likely forgetting), but it's also showing an iPad app that looks all ready to go. There aren't many details about it, but like all things Kobo it looks pretty single purpose and slick -- check out the screenshots below. Editor's note: due to the horrible lighting conditions at the CTIA event we were attending, we had to photograph the device under the warm lights of a meat-cutting station, hence the incongruous backdrop of these hands-on photos. Gallery: Kobo eReader hands-on Gallery: Kobo eReader press shots Gallery: Kobo iPad app screenshots Kobo eReader is Kobo's $149 E Ink play for Borders, we thumb through its virtual pages originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Don't take this the wrong way -- we're glad to be in Las Vegas with all our friends at CTIA, playing with new handsets from Samsung and Motorola. But as you know, we also love us some new music gear, especially when it sounds good -- so we wouldn't exactly mind being in Frankfurt for Musikmesse right now, either. Currently on display at Korg's booth, Monotron is a two AAA-powered, pocket-sized analog synth featuring a ribbon keyboard, VCO, VCF, and LFO controls, and the same analog filter found in the Korg MS-10 and MS-20 -- and it sounds great. Check it out in the gallery below and and in the video after the break to see / hear the thing in action. Look for it in May for about $67. Gallery: Monotron Analogue Ribbon Synthesizer Continue reading Korg debuts pocket-sized Monotron analog synth, and we want it (video) Korg debuts pocket-sized Monotron analog synth, and we want it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink Music Radar | Korg | Email this | Comments

Want some DivX-encoded 720p goodness on your fancy new superphone? Samsung will be the way to go, at least in the short term. The Korean company has announced that its Bada-infused Wave handset will be the first phone with certified support for DivX HD playback, with the freshly announced, Android-driven, Galaxy S following up at an unspecified point in time. Guess we're finally going to get the content to do justice to those spectacular Super AMOLED displays. Hit up Engadget Spanish for the full PR while we get to work on transcoding our entire DVD collection.Samsung Wave is world's first DivX HD phone, Galaxy S in a hurry to be world's second originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Engadget Spanish | Email this | Comments

You know, we see a lot of ultraportable laptops these days, it's not like it's virgin territory for us, but we'd say the last time we were this blown away by a form factor was the VAIO X, or maybe the Adamo XPS in all its weird-hinge glory. LG's X300 is simply thin. Cramming 11.6-inches of screen and premium netbook parts (2GHz Atom Z550, HDMI out, up to 2GB of RAM and 128GB SSD, even some 3G and Bluetooth for good measure) into a 0.68-inch thick form factor is impressive, but we're even more struck by how insanely light this thing is -- it feels more like holding an e-book reader in hand than a laptop. The plastic build feels very solid, and the textured pattern on the back falls into the realm of "premium," not "gaudy." The keyboard isn't the best action-wise, but there's zero flex because there's nowhere to go. Our biggest concern is the trackpad: it's nice and big, but there's a "virtual" click mechanism where you tap to click the button portion and get a haptic response -- it might be the evolution of the "click pad" concept, or it might be a pain in the ass. Even the screen was bright and quality, though too glossy for our taste. We're told the laptop is headed to the US, but we're not sure when -- hopefully soon, since it's starting to ship internationally this month. Check out a video walkthrough after the break. Gallery: LG X300's jaw-dropped hands-on Continue reading LG X300's slack-jawed hands-on LG X300's slack-jawed hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | | Email this | Comments

When the appointment was announced, consumer advocates had some questions over whether new Democratic FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was going to be another in a long-line of baby bell pushover Commissioners. But since starting her tenure at the FCC, she's actually shown herself to be both tough and savvy to the ways of the telecom sector. She's recently done things like pointing out the hypocrisy of minority ant-net-neutrality astroturf (try asking Joe Public what that is), hammering Verizon for high ETFs and their phantom $1.99 fee, and most recently criticizing the sector's lack of competition and high prices (pdf). That said, Clyburn is planning to continue her criticism of high prices and limited competition when she appears this week before the House Energy & Commerce Committee. While her full testimony is not yet publicly available, a leaked copy obtained by cable operator trade mags indicates that Clyburn plans to highlight recent Time Warner Cable comments that the company raises broadband prices simply because they can. While honest discourse on the real state of competition is refreshing, Clyburn seems to be confused about what actually constitutes "competition":FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn plans to tell the House Energy & Commerce Committee that the national broadband plan should make sure there are least two broadband offerings in every market to insure (sic) price and speed competition. That is according to a copy of her prepared written testimony. "Competition is the lifeblood of investment, innovation, and affordable prices," she tells the committee, adding that absent that competition, cable operators and others have no incentive to improve their service or facilities.But assuming FCC data is right (and that's never a given given the agency has spent a decade using junk science), the agency's recent broadband plan noted that 78% of the public already has the choice of two providers. Of course a duopoly doesn't mean there's competition. In duopoly markets, massive phone and cable incumbents essentially stare at each other waiting for the next opportunity to raise broadband or TV prices, jack up ETFs, or impose the latest absurd fee. Sure, you'll see some competition on things like channel counts, but this "competition" is usually based largely on superficial perceptions of value, not price. Carriers also lag on network upgrades if their sole competitor agrees an area isn't worth upgrading. For example, ask Time Warner Cable when they plan to upgrade markets like Binghamton or Rochester, New York -- where the only competition for the next five years (or more) will be last-generation DSL (Verizon and Frontier, respectively). Given Verizon is putting FiOS deployment on hold, and most other telcos plan on nursing copper for the next decade -- there's tens of millions of people living markets who won't be seeing next-generation broadband any time soon. Of course for all of Clyburn's concerns, the FCC's broadband plan really doesn't address the problems created by these broadband duopolies. Much like they did with broadband over powerlines, some at the FCC are apparently hoping that fourth-generation wireless broadband steps in and magically creates extra layers of competition. Of course that extra layer of competition will be very expensive service, dominated by these same regional mono(duo)polies, which means it won't really be competition at all. read comment(s) <br clear=all>

The way we see it, unless you're old enough to have taped a world premiere Smiths video off of 120 Minutes (probably "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before") you have no business hoarding VHS tapes. But maybe you are enamored with their many charms: actual tape that gets taut, stretches, or simply loses signal over time, resulting in color bleeds and ghastly images; bulky physical media; cardboard cases that stain and tear quickly and easily. Well, you probably live in the United Kingdom, then! According to a report by that nation's Entertainment Retailers' Association (ERA), while music sales dropped by 0.8 percent in 2009 (the lowest decrease in five years) and all other video fell by by 10.6 percent, VHS sales more than doubled, from 44,377 in 2008 to 95,201 last year. Of course, everything is relative -- while PC games, for instance, declined nearly 25% last year, some 6.4 million titles were sold. Even so, this is no small potatoes when you realize that almost all the sales were attributed to Bill Cosby's Razzie Award-winning classic. What do you think, guys? Time for a Leonard Part 7?UK VHS sales more than double in 2009, Bill Cosby enjoys the attention originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink Tech Digest | BBC | Email this | Comments

As we get closer and closer to being run over by a wave of 3D televisions, Blu-ray players, and assorted peripherals, we can start to see more of the details of that oncoming rush. Most recently revealed is the battery life of Sony's active shutter glasses. As we've reported before, Sony is diving face-first into 3D technology for the home and each face that wants to follow along will need a pair of $133 TDG-BR100 or TDG-BR50 glasses perched upon it. Both models will manage 100 hours of active viewing before running dry -- less than half the 250 hours Panasonic is pledging for its peepers, but more than double the 40 hours for NVIDIA's option. 100 hours sounds like a lot, sure, but coming hot on the heels of Nielsen's 35 hours per week of television report, we're thinking you'd better keep that recharger nearby.Sony's 3D glasses rated at 55 Alice in Wonderland viewings per charge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Sony Insider | Email this | Comments

State-owned Telecom Egypt hasn't been doing well lately, last week announcing 2009 voice call revenues dropped 13 percent from the year prior. It's not hard to see cheap/free VoIP calling as a primary reason, and so what do you do if you're a state-run commercial enterprise trying to make a profit? Why, you make the competition illegal of course. Egypt has specifically banned mobile international calls made through VoIP, immediately affecting the country's three mobile carriers (Vodafone, Mobinil, and Etisalat). However, according to the AFP the law states that "all international calls must pass through state-owned Egypt Telecom," meaning at-home Skypers would also be out of luck. For its part Skype believes that " it should be up to consumers, not regulatory authorities, to choose the winners and losers in the communications space." We're guessing its customers would agree, but we're still waiting for their response -- damn lag.Telecom Egypt loses revenue, government helps by banning international VoIP originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Yahoo! News, Portfolio.com | Email this | Comments

We've frequently discussed how the TV industry (both phone and cable) is collectively working on an online video service that takes some existing content and puts it behind a paywall -- accessible only to users who have cable service. The idea has long been that this will stop users from cutting the cord and moving to competing Internet-based services, though there's been some bickering with broadcasters over compensation, and the idea seems to be a jumble of non-standards from one operator to the next. Comcast is so far the first to launch their TV Everywhere effort, and opinions are mixed. Techdirt directs our attention to a piece over at MediaShift, where author Mark Glaser argues that TV Everywhere is going to fail, and it's going to have nothing to do with broadcaster disputes, clunky GUIs, or inconsistent standards. It's going to have everything to do with the fact that the cable industry believes they can take their old business model, and violently force it upon the new broadband-driven Internet:The cable companies have no plan to give people the option to access Xfinity or other TV Everywhere services for a fee instead of forcing them to pay for cable TV. That means this is not a strategy for working out an online business model (either through advertising or paid content, or a mix of those or something new). Instead, the cable companies have one aim: Protect the old business model. Again, this is not a strategy born from innovation or smart thinking about new platforms. This is survival mode and all about protecting the old, broken way of doing business.If you talk to cable industry executives right now, most of them are almost glibly confident that cord cutters are a very small niche segment, and not something to worry about. And for now, they're right. Cable's incredibly-robust infrastructure is in place, works great (usually), and even during a recession and despite endless rate hikes -- consumers continue to throw money at the industry for hundreds of channels most users never watch. But if you've watched the evolution of broadband and Internet content, you know that despite what Mark Cuban wants to believe, Internet video is a very real threat. Right now, slow last-mile speeds, terrified Hollywood studios, and clunky first-generation home video solutions are keeping Internet video out of the mainstream. But it's only a matter of time before speeds increase, cheaper and simpler home broadband video services appeal to the cost-conscious, and consumers gladly begin fleeing a sector that has pounded consumers with an endless stream of rate hikes, forced them to buy bundles of channels they simply do not watch, and continues to have some of the worst consumer satisfaction scores across any industry (even the IRS). Traditional cable will still dominate for much of the next decade; this is going to be a slow ®evolution. But the industry does have one hell of a fight coming down the pike. While some cable insiders work a little too hard trying to convince you of cable's infallibility, the insightful insiders know things will be getting rocky. That's why just like wireless carriers, who fear the impact mobile VoIP and push IM have on voice and SMS revenues, the cable industry dreams of a broadband future where you're paying one hell of a premium for every gigabyte delivered -- so if you do someday switch to Internet video -- they'll still get their pound of flesh. read comment(s) <br clear=all>

It looks like a smartphone, it has a smartphone's form factor, operating system, and an extra-slim slideout QWERTY keyboard, yet Inbrics still insists on calling the M1 a Mobile Internet Device instead. When the company's not busy sinking its own battleships, it appears to be doing actually beneficial stuff, such as cramming a new 1GHz Samsung CPU inside its device. The original 800MHz unit was the thing that worried us most during our otherwise praise-filled hands-on experience with the M1 at CES, so it's a good sign to see it getting a bit of extra brawn ahead of launch. The software has also moved with the times, with Android 2.1 being the current OS on tap, which should look rather nice on that 3.7-inch OLED display. The M1 will have WiFi, but no cellular connectivity is planned just yet. It's all dependent on having a Western vendor pick up the hardware and infuse it with its own requirements. Although at CES we were told to expect the M1 in March, the current timetable is for a July launch in Korea and US availability by the end of the year, provided Inbrics finds a partner for the device. Netbook News have also finally squeezed a price out of the company and have been told to expect it in the "low $200" range. Sounds kinda promising, don't you think?Inbrics M1 gets Android 2.1 and CPU bump to 1GHz, insists on being called a MID originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink SlashGear | Netbook News | Email this | Comments

Fox continues to pull back the layers of its release schedule for Avatar after yesterday's press event with director James Cameron, producer James Landau and Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers (above) as Reuters indicates the Blu-ray 3D version will arrive next year. What does 2010 hold for the most dedicated fans of Pandora? While the DVD and Blu-ray editions due April 22 will arrive stripped clean of any extras whatsoever, a registration code slipped in the case will give owners access to "The AVATAR Program" to view bonus content online, adopt a "virtual hometree" among the million being planted and other enticements to string them along connect this release with an ultimate edition due in November. Check the press release after the break for all the details and see if you can resist the urge to triple dip. Continue reading Avatar disc opens up online-only extras until ultimate edition arrives in November, 3D next year Avatar disc opens up online-only extras until ultimate edition arrives in November, 3D next year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments

The wireless industry has released their semi-annual survey results (see both the announcement and the pdf survey), indicating that wireless data service revenues increased 25.7% from the last half of 2008 to reach more than $22 billion for the last half of 2009. A significant chunk of those data revenues were courtesy of those 160 character, 140 byte communications you know as SMS or text messages. According to the survey, there were more than 822 billion text messages sent and received on carriers networks during the last half of 2009:According to the survey, text messaging continues to be enormously popular, with more than 822 billion text messages sent and received on carriers networks during the last half of 2009 amounting to almost 5 billion messages per day at the end of the year. During the 2009 calendar year, there were more than 1.5 trillion text messages reported on carriers networks. Wireless subscribers are also sending more pictures and other multimedia messages with their mobile devices more than 24.2 billion MMS messages were reported for the last half of 2009. That s more than double the number from the previous year, when only 9.3 billion were reported for the last half of 2008.While wireless pricing is now designed to push people toward bundled SMS services; in bundle or standalone pricing, SMS is still a ridiculously-profitable cash cow. It costs virtually nothing to provide the service, and prices per SMS have jumped some 200% across carriers in the last three years (the DOJ recently declared this was not collusion, and consumers continue to pay). However, as users migrate toward smartphones with more sophisticated push IM clients, carriers can expect to see SMS revenues dwindle. All indications are that they plan to compensate for this loss by charging users more for wireless data. read comment(s) <br clear=all>

The Hindustan Times cover this morning has a generous space dedicated to Google's exit out of China and related efforts at redirecting mainland users to its Hong Kong hub, but couched cosily inside that story is perhaps an even bigger one. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is quoted as saying that Dell is considering taking its $25 billion's worth of business elsewhere, possibly India: "This morning I met the chairman of Dell Corporation. He informed me that they are buying equipment and parts worth $25 billion from China. They would like to shift to safer environment with climate conducive to enterprise with security of legal system." Michael Dell's outfit already has one manufacturing plant in India, and the man himself has been on a charm offensive in the country this week meeting and greeting local officials. It could well be, however, that Dell is just seeking to play China and India off one another to get itself the most favorable manufacturing deal, but it's still interesting to find such a high profile protestation against the supposedly enterprise-choking climate and uncertain legal system in China. It appears that Google's wrangle with the Middle Kingdom's leadership has forced consumer electronics execs to reevaluate their strong reliance on China, and the (very) long-term effects could indeed be a shifting, or at least diversification, of manufacturing away from Yao's homeland. [Thanks, Piyush]Dell looking outside of China for 'safer environments,' according to Indian PM originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Hindustan Times | Email this | Comments

It seems that man's mad quest to unite Sense UI and Droid continue at breakneck speed. This next bit of evidence comes from the blurrycam of AllDroid forum member Greek35T, and befitting its status as an experimental Alpha release, there are a few hiccups. Data is available when 3G is enabled, but not voice (although a quick perusal of the forum has indicated that at least one user has had success placing 3G calls -- but none receiving them). Bluetooth is also out of the question, for the time being -- as is airplane mode and the GPS (although aGPS seems to be working fine). That said, you do get Flash (as a rousing game of Alien Attack demonstrates). See for yourself after the break -- or hit the source link to try it out for yourself. You know, if you're crazy like that. [Thanks, Steven]Continue reading Sense UI ROM available for Droid; is nothing sacred? Sense UI ROM available for Droid; is nothing sacred? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | AllDroid | Email this | Comments

It sure pays to be a white collar criminal in Korea. Especially when you're the son of the founder of Samsung. Lee Kun-hee, the disgraced former chairman of the Samsung Group, is returning to the chaebol as the head of Samsung Electronics -- Samsung's largest division and of primary interest to us gadget nerds. Remember, this is the man convicted of tax evasion only to be pardoned (twice!) by South Korean presidents with all jail time deferred. His latest pardon was issued so that he could help South Korea win a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. In an effort to stave off criticism from a local population that is at once proud of Samsung's global success but concerned with its immense power over all things Korean, Mr. Lee played the fear card in announcing the reason for his return: "[The] best companies in the world are collapsing. We don't know what is going to happen to Samsung too. In the coming 10 years, businesses and products that represent Samsung today will mostly disappear." Never mind that analysts are predicting the most profitable year ever for Samsung Electronics. So what'll it be South Korea: BubiBubi or pitchforks?Lee Kun-hee returns as chief of Samsung Electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments

Let's get this out of the way: at 38mm (1.5 inches) thick, these Mythos XTR-50 speakers are not the "world's thinnest," no matter what manufacturer Definitive Technology might have you believe -- JVC dropped 31mm satellites onto our secret wishlists just last fall. But unless you live in Japan, the Mythos XTR-50 may be the thinnest speakers you can actually buy. Made completely from aircraft grade aluminum, the enclosure houses six domed drivers and a tweeter, themselves shaped from aluminum, and connected with copper-covered aluminum wire. Why all the aluminum, you ask? The obvious reason is that -- in moderation -- it's lighter and stronger than alternative materials, which contributes to these satellites' luscious curves, but it also means that the entire assembly acts as a giant heatsink. Logical design -- who would have believed it. Too bad the units cost $700 each, and you'll need at least two -- if not five -- to get the full effect.Mythos XTR-50 speakers exude aircraft style, remain grounded by price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. <h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink Akihabara News | Definitive Technology | Email this | Comments