business
iPhone 4 FaceTime over a MiFi connection: because we had to try
Okay, so you’re starting to come down from your post-purchase iPhone 4 gadget high and you’re getting into the habit of using it just like you would any other phone. FaceTime was a neat trick on day one, sure — but if there’s a single thing significantly limiting its day-to-day usefulness, it’s the fact that you can only use it over WiFi at the moment. Apple claims that they’ve got more work to do with carriers to make it usable over cellular, but how legit is that claim?
Google Places’ camera exposed in the convenience store wilds
That right there friends, is a real life Google employee and his trusty camera capturing the internals of a fine New York City bodega.
Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 and Multimedia Keyboard review
Lenovo seems to have developed a clear two-pronged strategy: for business, it leans on the knowhow and tradition it purchased from IBM with the demure Think line, and for the consumer end, it’s developed its own, oftentimes flamboyant, Idea range of computers. Prime example of the latter is the IdeaCentre A300 , which features an edge-to-edge glass screen, chrome accenting aplenty, and an unhealthily thin profile. As such, it’s one of the more unashamed grabs for the hearts and minds of desktop aesthetes, so we had to bring it in for a test drive and see what we could see.
NEC LifeTouch Android tablet isn’t exactly a beauty
Hey, they say beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, but we’re going to go out on a limb here and call this one like we see it: NEC ‘s LifeTouch Android tablet isn’t a looker, in our opinion. That said, this 7-incher runs Android 2.1 and packs an ARM Cortex A8 processor
Nintendo 3DS game cart pictured, wireless ebook reader on tap?
It was easy to get lost amidst all the attention surrounding the 3DS itself, but Nintendo also had an actual 3DS game cart on hand at E3 and, well, it looks pretty much like a regular DS cart (probably a good thing, since the two are compatible). About the only difference, it seems, is that small extra tab on the corner, and a slightly slimmer case that they’ll come packaged in. In other overshadowed-by-E3 news, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has apparently told Nikkei that the 3DS’ wireless connection could be used to automatically download newspaper and magazine articles (and books, presumably) which, when combined with the 3DS’ ability to actively seek out and connect to any open WiFi network, could potentially turn into a Whispernet -like service from Nintendo — something that Iwata has, incidentally, publicly mused about in the past.
Palm confirms new devices, webOS upgrade
Ever since HP CEO Mark Hurd said he wasn’t interested in smartphones , it’s like the company’s been making up for lost time — first by denying the exec’s predilections, and more recently by actually asking us to speculate wildly . Now Palm’s Developer Relations team has reportedly stepped in to confirm that speculation, telling devs that future devices and a new version of webOS are on the way. While there’s no knowing if those devices are smartphones or when we might see them, we’re told to expect a “very exciting” next year.
