Archos 7 Home Tablet sees revision 2, with Android 2.1 and faster 800MHz CPU

The Archos 7 Home Tablet was something of a disappointment, and Archos has shipped bigger and better things since, but the firm isn't done with the original affordable Android slate quite yet. We've confirmed with Archos that a "v2" revision is now shipping in Europe with three things the original lacked -- an accelerometer, a relatively recent version of Android (2.1) and an 800MHz Rockchip CPU. Make no mistake, those are still budget specs, and you'll almost certainly still have to hack your own Android Market on to get a full quota of apps, but it's not like you're paying any more for the extra oomph. The updated version has been spotted at Expansys for the same $200, which might actually might make it one of the best bang-for-the-buck tablets out there. Look how far we've come.

[Thanks, Marien]

Archos 7 Home Tablet sees revision 2, with Android 2.1 and faster 800MHz CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/R2uoFAJmQ6I/

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See What Went Popular And When With Rrrewind

Developer Roberto Martinez wanted an easy way to see what was popular on any given social content site on any given day so he built Rrrewind, which lets you see what was hot on Delicious, Digg, Hacker News, Reddit, Hulu, Yahoo Videos, YouTube, Dribbble, Flickr, Amazon and Yahoo Buzz for any day in 2010 and some in 2009. Like a snapshot in virality or a Popurls with a history focus, Rrrewind allows you to go back in time and see an archive of the most viewed items on the Internet. Says Martinez, "It is NOT a social, local, deal related, disruptive app, just a damn useful site that let you go back in time and see what was popular on some sites. I built it because I hate to miss hot stuff on Delicious (snif), Hacker News, etc."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/49l87sTvEYo/

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Grace Digital adds color displays on new Solo Touch, Bravado X, and Mondo WiFi radios

Can't say we had the best of times with Grace Digital's Allegro, but the dawning of a new year means the dawning of a new effort. Three efforts, in this case. Poised for an official unveiling next week at CES, the outfit's new trio of internet radios have all been upgraded with color displays. Up first is the Solo Touch, a $249.99 device with an expansive 4.3-inch touchpanel, bundled remote, Ethernet connection, RCA outputs and a headphone jack. Stepping down a notch, there's the Bravado X ($179.99), which offers a 2.7-inch color display, RCA in / out and a USB connector. Finally, the $169.99 Mondo packs a 3.5-inch color display, a full-on alarm clock (with snooze!) and a USB port of its own. The whole lot can be controlled via a free iPhone app, and they're each capable of tuning into iheartradio, Pandora, Sirius XM, WeatherBug, CBS Radio, MP3Tunes and more. Now, off to Vegas to see if those user interface quirks have been cleared up...

Continue reading Grace Digital adds color displays on new Solo Touch, Bravado X, and Mondo WiFi radios

Grace Digital adds color displays on new Solo Touch, Bravado X, and Mondo WiFi radios originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/WQE0kT55ULU/

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Nook lineup sells millions, Barnes & Noble's best-selling product of all-time

You didn't think Barnes & Noble was just going to let Amazon rest on its "vague sales milestones" laurels, did you? The veteran bookseller just announced that the Nook lineup -- 3G, WiFi, and the new Nook Color combined -- has become "the company's biggest bestseller ever in its nearly 40-year history." That's bigger than Barnes & Noble's sales (note: not global sales) of DaVinci Code or any of the Harry Potter novels. Unfortunately, we can't say exactly just how many that is, as the press release only announces "millions" being sold. A B&N rep we spoke with told us they likely wouldn't specify any further, nor would there likely be a breakdown of sales by individual model.

Other notable factoids include Nook Color's reign as the company's "number one selling gift of the holiday season" and nearly one million "Nook books" downloaded on Christmas Day. In fact, the company now sells more digital books than it does physical books over BN.com (i.e. not including books sold in brick-and-mortar stores). Wish we had some hard figures, but hey, if any company is going to mince words in a sales announcement, it might as well be a book company, right? Press release after the break.

Continue reading Nook lineup sells millions, Barnes & Noble's best-selling product of all-time

Nook lineup sells millions, Barnes & Noble's best-selling product of all-time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XFFh95jwXsw/

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Ford launches SYNC Destinations, the free app for people who go places in cars

Smartphone user? Regardless of platform you have no shortage of navigation options, and now Ford has added another way to get where you're going -- if you're also an owner of a SYNC TDI-compatible car, anyway. Using the new SYNC Destinations app (available today for iOS and Android, with BlackBerry coming soon) you can more efficiently pre-plan your route. The app lets you pick a destination, view real-time traffic updates, even check out congestion predictions based on weather, time of day, and holidays. It's a feature that would have been pretty handy last week when we were simultaneously dealing with a heck of a blizzard and a whole lot of people trying to flee their in-laws.

The app will even suggest what time you should leave to avoid the most headaches, a potential boon for those desperately seeking any excuse to hit the road a little early. It is, however, just for planning, sending your route to the car and then disabling the phone's display when you cross the magic 5mph threshold. It's safer that way, after all. Full details are in the PR below and if you're on the lucky two supported platforms with a suitably compatible car you can download today for free.

Gallery: Ford SYNC Destinations

Continue reading Ford launches SYNC Destinations, the free app for people who go places in cars

Ford launches SYNC Destinations, the free app for people who go places in cars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/30/ford-launches-sync-destinations-the-free-app-for-people-who-go/

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Mozilla's P2PU 'School of Webcraft' gearing up for another semester of nerdy teaching

It turns out Barney isn't the only dinosaur interested in education -- Mozilla (with its own Dinosaur) is ramping up the course count in its online education program, delivered via P2PU. 'The School of Webcraft' is basically a free online learning community with structured courses about a range of Web-related subjects, from HTML5, through JavaScript, all the way to social media management and SEO. Each class is between six to ten weeks long, with the Mozilla-supported program offering 15 classes last term. This coming semester, they're upping their efforts and running a full 30 courses.

Each class is led by an actual human being, and participation is required -- it's not just a bunch of videos you have to watch. There's a limited number of places available per class, and you have to actually do homework. Not all classes are for beginners either; some are for advanced coders, too. But registration isn't available just yet - it begins Jan 8, and there's a mailing list you can join to be alerted when registration opens.

If you're serious about your Web-related education, we suggest you sign up for the mailing list -- these courses tend to fill up quite quickly. Head on over to the School of Webcraft site for more information.

Mozilla's P2PU 'School of Webcraft' gearing up for another semester of nerdy teaching originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/20/mozillas-p2pu-school-of-webcraft-gearing-up-for-another-semes/

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Opera 11 downloaded 6.7 million times on day one -- thanks to the power of bacon

While Opera 11's warm reception had a lot to do with a greatly improved browser and a very loyal fan base, the boys in Oslo had one clever trick up their sleeve which they saved for launch day. And with nearly 7 million downloads in 24 hours, you've got to hand it to Opera: they know how to tempt a geek.

How'd they do it? By dangling delicious bacon in front of Reddit users. You've got to admit, the Opera 11 Web advert is at least as enticing as those Evony ads -- you know which ones I'm talking about.

As for those of us who already tried Opera 11 and knew it was a solid browser... well, if you're like me, you're probably just craving some sizzlin' hot bacon right about now.

Curse you, Opera!

Opera 11 downloaded 6.7 million times on day one -- thanks to the power of bacon originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/17/opera-11-downloaded-6-7-million-times-on-day-one-thanks-to-bacon/

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Skin Turns iPhone into Polaroid Land Camera

The iPhone is already the spiritual successor to the Polaroid, able to deliver great results, instantly. So instead of wishing that whichever company currently owns the Polaroid brand-name would just make a great new camera already, why not just make your iPhone look like the iconic Land Camera?
Buy this skin, designed by Canada-based Ryan [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/12/skin-turns-iphone-into-polaroid-land-camera/

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How to connect and set up your new HDTV: all the cables, content, and calibration you need

Whether you're taking the wraps off of your first HDTV or your fifth there's a few easily avoidable hurdles that can prevent you from enjoying that brand new display at its best. Now, with new internet connected TVs and 3DTVs in the mix, there's even more to consider, but we'll walk you through the minefield of figuring out how to hook that new TV up, what to connect it to and even throw in a few suggestions on where to find the stuff you like to watch most.

Continue reading How to connect and set up your new HDTV: all the cables, content, and calibration you need

How to connect and set up your new HDTV: all the cables, content, and calibration you need originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/30/how-to-connect-and-set-up-your-new-hdtv-all-the-cables-conten/

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Thanks In Part To The Northeast Blizzard, Online Holiday Spending Surges To Record $30.8 Billion

Online holiday spending continues to set records. comScore is reporting that retail e-commerce spending in the U.S. for the first 56 days of the November to December 2010 holiday season has reached a record $30.81 billion, which is an 13 percent increase versus the same period last year. The past week before Christmas saw $2.45 billion in spending, an increase of 17 percent versus the corresponding week last year. As expected, comScore reports that the massive snow storm that hit the Northeast region of the U.S. over the weekend helped push post-Christmas spending to record levels. The company also reports that in terms of specific products, Computer Hardware ranked as the top growing category for the holiday season with a 23 percent increase versus last year. Interestingly, handheld devices (such as iPads and e-readers) and laptop computers have driven much of the growth in this sector.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/KeKN_dQgeYA/

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8pen is a painful way to enter text on Android devices

Text entry on a small screen is a formidable problem; as can be expected, there are a ton of competing solutions, with Swype (and Swype-like keyboards, such as SlideIT) getting a lot of attention.

8pen takes a completely different tack to the keyboard problem, by eliminating it altogether. To paraphrase Bob Marley, "no keyboard, no cry." According to 8pen, by drawing "natural" gestures on your touchscreen, you'd be able to "write without viewing".

The idea is to give you a central graffiti-like area with a grid of characters. All gestures originate from the central area and terminate there, too. To type the letter "e", for example, you have to start at the center, swipe down, hang a left (crossing the green line) and go back to the center area. To type "l" (a lowercase L), you have to do the same, but continue one quadrant further, returning to the center dot from the top quadrant, having crossed both the green and blue lines.

If this sounds insanely complex, you're right. I'm no stranger to alternative keyboard layouts, and I know full well that switching input methods takes some getting used to. But compared to SlideIT, 8pen is downright painful. And yes, I will review SlideIT soon.

Still, if you're curious and/or masochistic, I've put up a QR code for 8pen after the jump. Enjoy! (I guess...)

Continue reading 8pen is a painful way to enter text on Android devices

8pen is a painful way to enter text on Android devices originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/13/8pen-is-a-painful-way-to-enter-text-on-android-devices/

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Rabbids Travel in Time is an explosive Time Waster

So... you're a rabbit, and you seem to have some anger management issues. And you have a fairly large supply of explosive toilet paper. Oh, and you really don't like neanderthals.

Tracking so far? If so, you're going to enjoy Rabbids Travel in Time. What you see in the screenshot is an adorable rabbit taking aim at the last remaining caveman for this particular level (it started off with three). Once you aim, you need to decide how hard you're going to pelt the caveman with your roll of explosive toilet paper. You do this by moving the mouse cursor along the arrow (as you can see, it's about at the two-thirds mark for this screenshot).

Once you aim and decide on the velocity, physics takes over. The toilet paper will bounce away, or come to rest somewhere, and then explode. I didn't see a way to make the fuse any shorter or longer - the explosion always seems to come at the same interval, which is about two seconds after you throw the roll.

Sometimes there's more than one rabbit (or "rabbid") per level, as you can see in the screenshot. This is nice because they can play "catch" - i.e, you throw the toilet paper from one rabbit to the next, and the other rabbit takes aim and reaches the eventual goal. Fun!

Rabbids Travel in Time is an explosive Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/20/rabbids-travel-in-time-is-an-explosive-time-waster/

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Deal of the Day ?Save 9% on the New Apple TV

This LogicBUY deal saves you 9% on the new Apple TV.� With the Apple TV, you can stream HD movies from iTunes, Netflix, and YouTube, and you can stream photos, video, or �music from your PCs and Macs to your HD TV.� The Apple TV has 802.11n WiFi, Ethernet, HDMI connector (no cable included), micro [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/12/30/deal-of-the-day-%e2%80%93save-9-on-the-new-apple-tv/

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How Careless Radiation Treatment Is Devastating Patients [Hospitals]

Marci Farber sought radiosurgery to treat a pain from a nerve deep in her head. Today, she's "in a nursing home, nearly comatose, unable to speak, eat or walk." What happened? The radiation hit places it wasn't supposed to. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qhNiKfFwVfw/how-careless-radiation-surgery-is-devastating-patients

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Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu

If the recent demonstrations of the Kinect's potential have you all hot and bothered, brace yourself: official drivers are now available for both Windows and Ubuntu. It's all thanks to the OpenNI (Natural Interaction) initiative, where PrimeSense -- the company behind the Kinect -- happens to be one of the founding members.

OpenNI aims "to accelerate the introduction of Natural Interaction applications into the marketplace," and releasing drivers is a good first step. Binaries for 32-bit Windows and both 32 and 64-bit Ubuntu systems are available for download and source code is also available. There's also a full OpenNI user guide in PDF format.

Here's hoping driver availability leads something more than slick demos -- we'd love to actually be able to control our desktops this way.

Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/20/official-kinect-drivers-now-available-for-windows-and-ubuntu/

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