Welcome to another edition of the SlashGear Week in Review! This was a huge week with an Apple event and several new smartphones turning up. Early in the week Mercedes-Benz announced that it was offering a new Media Interface Plus that would allow the user to stream content from a Bluetooth phone to the cars audio system among other things.

The HTC Gratia Android smartphone saw the full specs unveiled this week. The phone has a 3.2-inch screen, 600MHz processor, and a 5MP camera and the OS is Android 2.2. Shinobii Technology pulled the wraps off an awesome controller for the Wii that is perfect for gamers who like to play table tennis games. The controller has all the hardware for the Wii Remote put inside a paddle.

Out sister site Android Community got hands on the sweet HTC Desire HD smartphone running Android and was kind enough to share with us the unboxing photos and more. The device runs Froyo and has a big 4.3-inch screen. This week Nintendo kicked off the 25th anniversary celebration for the original Nintendo game system. It hardly seems like 25 years since that console hit stores. I had the original console system with the robot that moved things around in the real world to open doors in a game.

Netflix streaming landed on the Nintendo Wii this week with no disc needed. The streaming service has been on the console for a while now but you had to use a disc to view streaming content. According to reports the version of the iPhone dubbed 3,2 that is expected to be for the Verizon network has reached the final testing stages. The new device reportedly contains a SIM card slot meaning it could possibly be able to work on more than one network.

Millennial Media reported this week that its numbers for September showed for the first time ever Android devices beat the iPhone on its network. Android ad requests have grown 26% since January. Microsoft has announced Office 365, which is a cloud-based version of Office productivity apps. The service is in beta right now and will be offered globally early next year.

Razer announced this week that its cool line of Starcraft II gaming gear that was unveiled back during the summer at E3 was now up for pre-order. The gear is set for shipment in November. A picture of what is supposed to be the iPhone 3,2 prototype believed to be heading to the Verizon network surfaced mid-week. The device looks visually just like the normal iPhone on the market already.

If you are a fan of Asus Eee Top AIO computer the new 3D ET2400XVT machine went up for pre-order this week. The machine certainly has some nice specs with a 23.6-inch screen, 8GB of RAM, and GeForce GTX 460 graphics, but the price of $1899 makes it less appealing for most. A company called Verykool unveiled a new rugged phone this week called the R80 that launched in Asia. The phone is very nice looking and can survive drops, cold, water, and dust.

The big news this week was the Apple press conference held mid-week. At the conference a lot of new stuff was unveiled with iLife 11 announced. The new version will be pre-loaded on all Macs and will be a $49 upgrade for older Macs. We spent some hands-on time with the new MacBook Air for 2010 in both the 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch forms. We liked the machine and the svelte profiles of both were very impressive.

We spent hands on time for a bit with the 11.6-inch MacBook Air Apple unveiled. The machine has a full-size keyboard, webcam, and the screen is LED backlit with a resolution of 1366 x 768. It gets 2GB of RAM, a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo and will sell for $999 with 64GB of storage. The larger 13.3-inch MacBook Air also went official with a battery promising 7 hours of run time. The screen has a resolution of 1440 x 900 and it runs a Core 2 Duo CPU at 1.86GHz with prices starting at $1299.

The Apple press event was also the unveiling of Apple Lion OS with some new features and Apple announced that a Mac App Store was coming as well. The apps will run full screen on the notebooks and the service looks really cool.

We reviewed the Toshiba AC100 notebook later in the week. The ultraportable is very thin and packed with a Tegra 250 mobile processor at 1GHz for power. We had some issues with the notebook and hope that a port of Ubuntu might make the machine better than it is from the start with Android as the OS. The day after the MacBook Air went official, iFixit got hands on one and took the thing apart. The company notes that even the screws the machine uses are hard to open showing that Apple doesn’t want folks inside the machine poking around.

Sources are pointing to a new Android-powered eReader coming from Barnes & Noble called the nook Color. The device is set to launch on October 26 so we don’t have long until we know all the details. We spent a little hands-on time with the HP Slate 500 tablet that was announced this week. The machine is being aimed at the enterprise market and will have a $799 price tag.

We learned Friday that Netflix streaming consumes 20% of the peak bandwidth online in the US. That means a lot of people are streaming video content. Sony announced Friday that it was stopping production of the cassette Walkman that was so iconic for anyone growing up in the 80′s. I didn’t even know they were still making the things.

Analysts are predicting big sales for the new MacBook Air notebook unveiled by Apple. One analyst reckons Apple will ship 700,000 of the things in Q4 2010 alone. We got our hands on the 11.6-inch MacBook Air and did a complete review of the notebook on Friday. We reckon the machine is not for every user, but it has great battery life and will work well for many people wanting a thin and light notebook to take on the road. Thanks for reading this week’s edition, see you next week!

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• SlashGear Week in Review – June 23rd
• Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro Could Show Up Next Week
• SlashGear TV Week in review Episode 1
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• SlashGear week in review, issue 1

That WP7 third party apposphere just got a nice boost from SlingPlayer, which has announced its intention to soon be present and accounted for on Microsoft’s new platform. What we’ve got today is a quick teaser video showing off the live TV streaming capabilities under Windows Phone 7, along with the remote set-top box controls and a switch for turning the stream’s quality up. Sling Media promises up to four times the resolution available on previous Windows Mobile versions and draws a launch window around the woolly concept of “soon.” See the moving pictures after the break.

Continue reading SlingPlayer for Windows Phone 7 demoed, coming soon (video)

SlingPlayer for Windows Phone 7 demoed, coming soon (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 04:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you’ve got some fundamental issue with Apple’s upcoming AirPlay, or just a fifth-gen iPod nano you’re unwilling to part with, here’s a handy little adapter for you. Produced by Cywee and likely to be sold for around $99 by PCD in the US, this RF streamer plugs straight into your iDevice’s dock connector and then beams video, pictures, games and the like over to its nearby base station, which in turn hooks up to your television by a set of RGB cables. Any app that utilizes Apple’s video output API is a candidate for having its visuals sent over, though resolution is unfortunately capped at 480p and you’ll need line of sight at a distance of no more than 15 feet for everything to work correctly. Just to make sure we’re all appropriately underwhelmed by its current product, Cywee promises an 802.11n WiFi variant that’ll handle 1080p and output via HDMI for next year. Great, we’ll just wait for that one, why don’t we?

Continue reading PCD’s $99 wireless streaming adapter will beam iOS or older-gen iPod nano content onto your TV

PCD’s $99 wireless streaming adapter will beam iOS or older-gen iPod nano content onto your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon FiOS subscribers can expect a few new channels in the lineup now that it’s reached an agreement with Disney for ESPN content across a variety of channels and even devices. While ESPN 3D isn’t scheduled for launch until 2011 (maybe in time for the BCS National Championship game, but too late to catch LeBron, Dwyane, Chris and those other guys take on the Knicks) ESPN Goal Line will go live on the 9th for Extreme HD and Ultimate HD package subscribers (except for D.C. and Harrisburg, PA) giving live look ins at all the college football games on Saturday. Playing further into Verizon’s tablet plans, the agreement also means customers can watch ESPN live channels directly on PCs or other authenticated devices, mirroring an earlier agreement between ESPN and Time Warner. Beyond that there’s a new Disney Junior channel on the way in 2010 plus Disney XD and ABC Family content coming to V Cast but we pretty much tuned out once we got past the sports part. Check the entire press release out after the break.

Continue reading Verizon, Disney deal means ESPN on tablets, ESPN 3D and Goal Line channel for FiOS

Verizon, Disney deal means ESPN on tablets, ESPN 3D and Goal Line channel for FiOS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There. That feels better, doesn’t it? Windows Mobile loyalists (yeah, all eight of you) who have been holding off on switching for inexplicable reasons now have a reason to celebrate: Spotify’s live on Windows Mobile 6.x. That sweet, sweet music streaming action that other mobile platforms have been enjoying for months is finally on Microsoft’s now-ancient smartphone OS, but the real news is that the team already has a build ready to go for the forthcoming Windows Phone 7. As you’d expect, these versions will allow users to search, browse and play back millions of tracks, stream over WiFi / 3G / 2.5G, play music sans an internet connection (offline playlists) and wirelessly sync between a local computer and a mobile. Windows Phone users should point their browser to m.spotify.com to get their download on (or hold off for it to hit the Windows Marketplace), and those who are still feeling timid can catch a beautifully narrated promotional video just past the break.

Continue reading Spotify launches on Windows Mobile, coming soon for Windows Phone 7

Spotify launches on Windows Mobile, coming soon for Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Before the iPhone, the iPod, and iTunes, there was Napster. The original gangster of digital music distribution has undergone many changes since its heyday as a pirate’s Shangri-La, though this latest one seems to be the most fitting. A new app for the aforementioned iOS devices as well as the iPad has been launched, giving you the full Napster experience in a more portable form factor. That means that for $10 a month you can stream and cache music from a library of 10 million songs — yes, offline listening is available too — essentially turning your iDevice into the Apple equivalent of a Zune Pass-equipped music station. Good times ahead, eh sailor?

[Thanks, Louis Choi]

Napster app arrives on iOS, completes the circle of life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were a bit surprised to find LG’s prototype Windows Phone 7 device for developers, soon to be unveiled officially as the Optimus 7 when released in its production form, hanging out in the wilds of IFA. Nevertheless, there it was, streaming DLNA content to a WiFi enabled TV. LG worked with Microsoft to develop a custom DLNA media sharing capability for its GW910 handset. Just one of the ways hardware partners are able to differentiate themselves on the otherwise locked down Windows Phone 7 platform. It certainly makes sense that LG would play to its strengths in the television industry as it moves to market with the device as early as next month according to our sources. Watch the trick flip-to-TV photo sharing interface in action after the break.

Continue reading LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October

LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There will undoubtedly be many comparisons made between Apple TV and Google TV in the upcoming weeks. As Apple updated and re-vamped their Apple TV initiatives today they showcased their strategy to make the television a viable platform for software and services.

Several things stuck out to me about the revamped Apple TV. The first was that the device is now without a hard drive. Which means that its primary role  is to consume streaming services. Things like Netflix, which they announced and YouTube as well.  It is great as well that the new Apple TV will stream content from the PC to the TV.  Pictures, videos, etc now don’t need to be synced they simply can stream to the device. Apple’s own iTunes store is now even a streaming service to Apple TV. This will pave the way for more streaming services as well in the future as other content owners and networks get on board.

The second thing of interest was that even though the new Apple TV runs Apple’s own iOS it does not include an App Store. For now, it is strictly and purely an Internet services platform for rich media. Now that does not mean it won’t include apps in the future. What it does do is it allows consumers to become comfortable consuming streaming content from the Internet on their TV’s from the sources they know and love.

Lastly the role of AirPlay will play an important role in the desire for consumers to buy Apple TV.    AirPlay gives all iOS devices the ability to stream content from one to the other.    I could be watching a movie or TV show on the iPad an instantly send that to my Apple TV to enjoy on the big screen.    The same is true of iPhone to Apple TV and even iPhone to iPad etc.

Apple is sending the message loud and clear that putting a web browser on the TV is not the correct approach for consuming Internet services on the big screen. By entering the market at a $99 price point it allows Apple to seed the market before courting developers and working with them to understand how to develop applications for the big screen.    By tying all their devices together as a part of an ecosystem it is an exciting solution that I feel will be quite attractive to consumers.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• Apple TV 3.0 tipped in new iTunes T&Cs
• Apple TV Redesigned, Now a Tiny Black Box with HDMI
• No plans for HDTV with integrated Apple TV says Tim Cook
• Apple TV will become games console predicts analyst
• Time for Apple TV to go from Hobby to Strategic Product

We knew this was coming and here it is: the Netflix application, heretofore reserved only for iPad users, has trickled down to iPhone and iPod touch devices. Version 1.1.0 makes the TV show and movie streaming app universal — so long as your universe is known as iOS — and looks to massively expand the available audience for Netflix’s mobile effort. What are you waiting for, go get it already.

[Thanks, Michael A.]

Continue reading Netflix adds iPhone and iPod touch compatibility in latest app version

Netflix adds iPhone and iPod touch compatibility in latest app version originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Got yourself a QNAP NAS, do you? If you’re also in legal possession of an Android or iOS-based device, you could soon be streaming your dusty Boyz II Men and / or Our Lady Peace jams straight from your network. Over the past month, the outfit has released QMobile apps for both Android and iOS, enabling everything from Google’s Nexus One to Apple’s iPod touch, iPad and iPhone to remotely stream images, tunes and videos so long as their NAS is online (and connected to a halfway decent broadband line). The app is said to work just fine over 3G or WiFi, and there’s even a My Jukebox feature that essentially acts as a shuffle system for those who aren’t too picky about what comes through. Both apps are available now in the Android Market and App Store for no charge, but you’ll probably want to tap those source links and update your NAS management software to v3.3.0 before trying any fancy business. Video promo is past the break, if you need some encouragement.

Continue reading QNAP’s QMobile app enables multimedia NAS streaming to Android and iOS

QNAP’s QMobile app enables multimedia NAS streaming to Android and iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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