Timeline (the condensed version): Google launches Android 2.1 on January 5th, Motorola promises to eventually offer 2.1 for all its Android handsets (including the heavily skinned CLIQ) on January 6th, Google's Nexus One gets 2.1 on January 11th. We wait. Motorola CLIQ gets 2.1 today, a mere 11 months later. Sure, maybe we were young and naive, but who could've known then that this update would be so long coming? Nobody really knows the solution to this problem in a general sense, especially since vanilla Android seems to be off the table for the majority of phones. What could compel a handset manufacturer and a carrier to work up timely software updates on heftily-skinned handsets past their shelf life, potentially competing with their own newer handsets in the process? Maybe paying for updates? Real Genuine Tears of Desperation? You tell us. Anyway, congrats to the saintly CLIQ owners out there who have waited patiently for 2.1, and a grumble grumble thanks to Motorola for keeping its promise.
Motorola CLIQ gets Android 2.1 at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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So what has technology modder extraordinaire Benjamin J. Heckendorn come up with for his Ben Heck Show this week? Why, a laptop designed to fit on a airplane tray table, thanks to a special swiveling screen. The Coach Section Laptop is a modified Toshiba Satellite with aluminum arms affixed to either side, with slots down the middle upon which the screen's pegs slide. Thumbscrews then tighten to keep the display in place in either of two modes: the standard laptop configuration, or the floating display-over-keyboard setup you see immediately above. Ben himself admits that we're looking at a proof of concept for now, but we imagine he'll have a seamless variant on eBay before long -- just as soon as he can figure out where to put that precariously dangling display cord. Video after the break.
Continue reading Ben Heck modifies Toshiba Satellite for cramped flights, throws TSA the peace sign (video)
Ben Heck modifies Toshiba Satellite for cramped flights, throws TSA the peace sign (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Onkyo's got a knack for dishing out new kit with a semblance of yesteryear in the design, and we've got to say -- we dig it. The company's latest are designed for minuscule offices, studio apartments and your everyday bedroom, with the CS-V645 DVD / CD mini system leading the way. This guy's got an iPod / iPhone docking station on the top, a USB port on the front, built-in FM radio tuner and support for MP3, WMA, JPEG, and DivX file formats. It'll also upscale content to 1080p over the HDMI output, and in case you were worried about getting up each time to alter the station, a remote is bundled in for good measure. The CD-only CS-445 is practically identical save for its incompatibility with DVD and the removal of its USB socket, but as with its older brother, it boasts a 40-watt amplifier and a pair of two-way loudspeakers. The CS-V645 is expected to crash in early December for $399, while the CS-445 reaches retailers this month for $329.
Continue reading Onkyo's CS-V645 and CS-445 mini stereos offer iPod dock, a pinch of retro
Onkyo's CS-V645 and CS-445 mini stereos offer iPod dock, a pinch of retro originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It's the weekend, kids. You know what that means? Relaxation. And what could be more relaxing than a live Engadget Podcast? Sure, we might be filled with rage against The Man and stuff like that, but it's in a, like, totally chill way. It's like "dude, step off, The Man. Chill out. Have a PBR." See what we mean? Relaxation. The podcast and chat are after the break.
P.S. And don't forget that Ustream has Android and iPhone clients as well, if you're out and about and you can't join in on the Flash-based fun below.
Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:15PM EDT!
The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:15PM EDT! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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