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Three for 3D: ESPN3D adds Home Run Derby, Sky 3D launches 4/3, AcTVila makes the jump this summer

Three continents, three more milestone announcements for 3D. First up is Sky TV, which, with or without 15,000 or so flat screens from LG, is officially launching its Sky 3D channel around the Man. U/Chelsea game on April 3. Already have a 3DTV and Sky's "top channels and HD pack?" Call the company with details for activation, while everyone else checks to see if their local pub is among the thousand plus already signed up to receive the six live 3D matches slated for this season (plus the entire playoffs) and demo reel for all non-footy hours of the day. Bringing the focus back home, ESPN 3D has scheduled the first event it will produce and air itself, the MLB Home Run Derby on July 12, a day after launching with the SA/Mexico World Cup game. Other events officially on deck (the plan for the first year is still about 85) include several college basketball tournaments and the ACC Championship football game in December. Last but not least is Japan, already home to at least one 3D network, which will soon have access to even more over the cross-manufacturer AcTVila video on-demand service. Clearly, the only logical thing to do is to keep that "3D will never take off" comment macro keyed up, it will be getting a lot of use over the next few months.

New Sprint ad shows iPhone using WiMAX... via Overdrive

Your existing iPhone (yeah, even the original) can surf the information superhighway at 4G speeds. Today. Who knew, right? Sprint's Overdrive -- which creates a WiFi hotspot that enables nearby devices to cruise on Clear's 4G (or 3G, if you're not in a 4G locale) network -- can theoretically enable any WiFi-capable phone to surf on WiMAX, but Sprint's taking a pretty bold approach by actually touting the feature in a new spot. Befuddled? Hop on past the break and mash play. Too bad this is about as close the iPhone will ever get to Sprint's shelves...
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Sygic Mobile Maps for Nokia N900 brings turn-by-turn to Maemo

Nokia may still not have brought turn-by-turn navigation to Maemo with its own Ovi Maps, but N900 users can now get their fix courtesy of Sygic, which has just released a version of its Mobile Maps app for the device. Available only in Europe to start with, the app costs €60, and includes maps of both eastern and western Europe, along with the usual "millions" of points-of-interest, speed camera locations and speed limit warnings, and plenty of customization options (including support for multiple languages). No firm word on availability outside of Europe just yet, but Sygic does say that additional regions will be announced "gradually." Head on past the break for a quick demo video.

[Thanks, Brad C]
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Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate

Another day, another Android tablet render. This one, the imaginatively titled WePad, is as ambitious as its name might suggest. (You know, because "we" is plural of "I"? Yeah, it's a stretch.) Dwarfing the iPad with its 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, webcam, two USB ports, flash card reader, UMTS modem, and a mooted six hours of battery life, we could see ourselves picking one up -- provided the price point is decent. But that's just the beginning! The manufacturer, Neofonie, also has designs on a WePad app store and, if all goes according to plan, this thing'll sport genuine Google Android and the Android Market. The company also mentions something called the "WeMagazine publishing ecosystem," the basis of a turn-key operation for getting your own branded device out on the e-reader market, so if you're looking to get into the biz just hit the source link to begin your adventure. As for us, we'll wait to see a final product before we jump to any conclusions.

BIS 3.0 coming to North American BlackBerry users next weekend?

It seems almost too good to be true, but it looks like the era of usable Gmail integration on BlackBerry might finally be upon us. CrackBerry is citing information that BIS 3.0 will be rolled out to North American customers in the wee hours of Sunday, March 28, when most of us are in a peaceful slumber (a good thing, considering that data services will be mostly down during the four-hour window). Out of the gate, 3.0 will offer Gmail label creation and deletion when using the plug-in along with support for OpenDocument file types and WMA audio, but the real meat should come shortly thereafter as two-way synchronization of read status and sent messages "will be added throughout the Spring 2010 by region." Technically, Spring starts today, so this could show up the moment BIS 3.0 goes live -- but given that we've waited literally years for this to happen, we're not getting our hopes up prematurely.

The Engadget Show Live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq's Chris Grant

Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 5:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab and OLPC Project, Dr. Richard Marks showing off Sony's PlayStation Move, commentary from Joystiq editor Chris Grant, plus much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it!

Of course, if you're in NY we'd love to have you attend the show in person at the Times Center. It's absolutely free! We'll start handing out tickets at 2:30PM, open the doors for seating at 4:30PM, and the show itself starts at 5PM. There will also be giveaways from Sony after the show, but you obviously have to be here to participate! All the info about attending can be found here.

Can't make it? We forgive you, and there's a live video stream that can be found after the break. In the spirit of awesome, we've enabled tweeting directly to the live stream! To be a part of The Engadget Show broadcast, just include the hashtag "#engadgetshow" and watch for your tweet on the ticker at the bottom of the screen. One thing to note, The Engadget Show is a family program, so any single instance of swearing or trolling will force us to turn off the ticker... and it won't come back on. So, keep it clean and have fun!

Click "read more" for the stream!
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Engadget Podcast 188 - 03.20.2010

Three mobile phone platforms struggle for dominance in the real world (the Real World) and in the Engadget Podcast (the Fake World).

Hosts: Josh Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Ultra-special Guest: Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Castor - Green Hill Zone

Hear the podcast


00:01:57 - Windows Phone 7 Series: the complete guide
00:04:15 - Microsoft on copy and paste in Windows Phone 7 Series: 'people don't do that'
00:04:20 - Windows Phone 7 Series multitasking: the real deal
00:04:50 - Windows Phone 7 Series emulator unlocked, shows a few surprises
00:09:45 - Word, Excel and OneNote for Windows Phone 7 Series revealed
00:13:45 - Microsoft takes a note from Palm in new Windows Phone 7 Series ad
00:37:00 - Palm posts $22m Q3 loss, says it liked its chances against Droid had Verizon launch been sooner
00:39:20 - Palm shares take 25 percent plunge after downer earnings announcement
00:43:20 - Palm: this is your survival guide
01:05:55 - The Engadget Show tapes tomorrow, with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!
01:06:52 - Nexus One hits for AT&T and Rogers 3G bands
01:09:00 - Make it four: Google's Nexus One coming to Sprint
01:12:50 - HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed?

Subscribe to the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
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Download the podcast

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
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Contact the podcast


1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.

Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @ohnorosco @engadget

MSI Wind12 U230 unboxed and benchmarked, trounces netbooks of yesteryear

It's no Pine Trail when it comes to power consumption, but AMD's Congo platform is no slouch, either. TestFreaks recently received the Congo-powered MSI Wind12-U230 for review, and discovered that its dual-core Athlon X2 L335 CPU and speedy Seagate drive made neat work of last year's Atom netbooks, including the formerly formidable HP Mini 311. After shooting the requisite unboxing video and posing the slender machine for a few close-ups, TestFreaks praised the large, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, while scoffing at only four hours of net browsing as the entirety of its battery life. You'll find pics, a host of benchmarks and even CPU-Z screens at the source link; now, we just want to see how the netbook handles a contemporary competitor.

Sprint to release Android 2.1 update for Hero and Moment 'over the coming weeks'

If you recall, about a month ago Sprint tweeted that it was working on delivering Android 2.1 upgrade for its HTC Hero and Samsung Moment in early Q2 this year. An optimistic guess would be April, right? Funnily enough, Techie Buzz has heard that two eager customers managed to squeeze a more precise date out of Sprint over a phone call -- end of March or even March 26th. Don't go reaching for that champagne just yet, though -- a self-proclaimed Sprint employee shared a recent internal memo on XDA-Developers forum, revealing that it's "actively working on having the Android 2.1 platform available to our Hero and Moment customers over the coming weeks," and that "more information coming in April." Oh Sprint, you do love playing with our little minds, don't you?

Taking the Windows Phone 7 Series emulator for a test drive (video)

Taking the Windows Phone 7 Series emulator for a test drive (video)
If you've been following the news about Microsoft's reinvention of its mobile presence, Windows Phone 7 Series, chances are you heard about how the company's developer-friendly emulator was... modified slightly by Dan Ardelean to expose a series of applications and hubs that you weren't supposed to see yet. Microsoft was quite gracious about it, indicating it basically expected this would happen and simply reminded everyone that these newly discovered apps are far from complete. With that in mind, let's take a look at the unlocked version of the OS, and we'll spell out for you exactly how you can do the same to see it for yourself.
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Something 'big' coming from SanDisk, complete with cape

Something big is coming March 23rd, and like a good used car salesman, SanDisk has rolled out an inflatable superhero in its honor. What could it be? We honestly have no idea. SanDisk has already introduced 64GB SDXC cards and the G3 SSD, condensed commercial FM into sugary syrup with slotRadio, and generally exploited NAND in every way imaginable. The company's not scheduled to introduce 128GB chips until 2011, and rewritable 3D flash is still years out. That said, SanDisk does have experience in the portable audio/video realm, and that notch on our wide, cape-wearing friend does look awfully familiar... Oh please, no, not another blasted tablet. We jest, of course, but what could a memory manufacturer possibly be planning that warrants such a teaser page?

[Thanks, Steve]

Subretinal implant successfully tested on humans, makes blind narrowly see

How many scientists does it take to properly install a lightbulb? When that lightbulb is an implant that stimulates retinal photoreceptors to restore one's sight, quite a few -- even if they disagree whether said implant should be placed on top of the retina (requiring glasses to supply power and video feed) or underneath, using photocells to channel natural sunlight. Now, a German firm dubbed Retina Implant has scored a big win for the subretinal solution with a three-millimeter, 1,500 pixel microchip that gives patients a 12 degree field of view. Conducting human trials with 11 patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, the company successfully performed operations on seven, with one even managing to distinguish between similar objects (knife, fork, spoon) and perform very basic reading. Though usual disclaimers apply -- the tech is still a long way off, it only works on folks who've slowly lost their vision, etc. -- this seems like a step in the right direction, and at least one man now knows which direction that is.

Dual Electronics iPod touch GPS dock ships at long last

It took a little longer than expected, but the first major docking solution to transform ones iPod touch into a full fledged navigating machine is now shipping directly from Apple. Dual Electronics' XGPS300 was originally announced way back in November of last year, and after a minor hiccup in January, we're finally able to plop down $199.95 to snag a window-sucking cradle with an inbuilt GPS receiver, rechargeable battery, amplified speaker and NavAtlas US / Canada map app. So, what'll it be? This, or one of those perfectly acceptable $99 PNDs? If you're smart, you'll tune in next week for our review before making any rash decisions.

[Thanks, Bridget]

HP flexible display unfurled on video

HP has been working on flexible displays for some time now, but it looks like things are starting to get a bit more real. Not real as in actual products, mind you -- but real like a big, flexible display spotted out in the wild. Doing the honors for this one is Hardware.info, which not only snapped shot above, but captured some of the action on video (head on past the break for that). Interestingly, HP doesn't actually see these panels being used in truly flexible or rollable displays -- the material itself would only survive being rolled up about a half dozen times -- but instead sees them being used to simply make displays thinner and lighter.

[Thanks, Frank]
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The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed

A visual recap of the day's articles
Mar 19th 2010 | 39 Articles
1:02 am
63 Comments
Apple patent reveals iGroups location-based social networking for iPhone
2:51 am
16 Comments
Pentax Kameraman puppets are perfect for shooting WTF faces
2:20 am
52 Comments
Marvell pitches $99 Moby Tablet as textbook alternative
3:44 am
35 Comments
Casio's solar-powered Pathfinder watch plays the green card twice
4:57 am
19 Comments
PVI's color E-Ink displays are a perfect match for Kindles
4:31 am
68 Comments
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 and 470 specs and pricing emerge
5:34 am
13 Comments
PowerColor jumps on the Eyefinity bandwagon, breaks off a wheel
5:23 am
10 Comments
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 2.0.4 firmware said to fix audio, reputation
6:58 am
54 Comments
Windows Phone 7 Series emulator unlocked, shows a few surprises
6:27 am
194 Comments
HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed?
8:10 am
59 Comments
BlackBerry OS 6.0 leaked?
7:53 am
29 Comments
T-Mobile and Clearwire mulling 4G partnership
7:32 am
63 Comments
Apple said to be preparing 12-core Mac Pros and 27-inch LED Cinema Displays
9:07 am
141 Comments
OneNote and Word for Windows Phone 7 Series revealed
8:51 am
48 Comments
3D invisibility cloak fashioned out of metamaterials
8:29 am
67 Comments
150,000 take part in FCC's broadband census, do their part for the greater good
10:13 am
37 Comments
Intel's X25-V and Kingston's SSDNow V Series face off in battle for best value SSD
9:51 am
46 Comments
Windows Phone 7 Series T-shirt cannon gets detailed, redefines 'mobile warfare'
9:29 am
175 Comments
Charlie Miller to reveal 20 zero day security holes in Mac OS X
10:56 am
39 Comments
Cablevision bumps Comcast to the back, 3D sports at home starts next week
10:34 am
14 Comments
Keepin' it real fake: Teclast's dual-screened K9 e-reader looks like Alex and Kindle made a baby
12:01 pm
17 Comments
Niko, the N900-powered Lego robot, looks poised to take over Twitter (video)
11:19 am
32 Comments
New UK Internet Addiction clinic offers in-patient therapy to 'screenagers'
1:04 pm
32 Comments
iBuyPower crams Core i7-980X Extreme Edition into Paladin desktop line
12:42 pm
120 Comments
A few developers receiving iPads early, must keep it in room with blacked-out windows and tuck it in every night
12:19 pm
16 Comments
AiLive shows off its LiveMove 2 software for building MotionPlus and PlayStation Move gestures
2:14 pm
56 Comments
LHC breaks its own energy record, still less powerful than Lady GaGa
1:49 pm
23 Comments
Vodafone Spain replacing microSD cards on 3,000 virus-infected handsets
1:26 pm
40 Comments
Virtusphere's virtual reality hamster ball put to the test
2:59 pm
116 Comments
Palm shares take 25 percent plunge after downer earnings announcement
2:38 pm
91 Comments
Synaptics driver enables multitouch gestures on older trackpads
3:50 pm
66 Comments
Apple now accepting iPad app submissions, get your jumbo-sized beer drinking simulations in before launch day
3:24 pm
12 Comments
The Engadget Show tapes tomorrow, with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!
5:04 pm
194 Comments
Palm: this is your survival guide
4:27 pm
49 Comments
Microsoft dishes out Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 details
6:05 pm
10 Comments
Engadget Podcast, live at 6:15PM EDT!
5:39 pm
28 Comments
Sprint's HTC Touch Pro2 gets official Windows Mobile 6.5 update
6:41 pm
94 Comments
Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 series 'will not initially offer copy and paste,' case-specific actions integrated into OS
7:39 pm
9 Comments
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 shipping to small businesses, cupcake lovers

How would you change HTC's Sense?

Microsoft's not going to allow HTC to cover Windows Phone 7 Series with its Sense UI overlay (which is going to be an interesting thing to watch in and of itself), but there's no question that the homegrown user interface has made a-many Windows Mobile phones look and feel a whole lot better than stock. Sense is also gaining traction in the Android realm, a sector where it's far more likely to either make a huge impact or be overlooked entirely. So, the question we're posing here today is this: if you were granted an HTC badge for a day, how would you change Sense? Are you satisfied with the quickness? Does anything simply get in the way? Any quirks that you just can't figure out? Any tweaks that you'd love to see made? We aren't always serious when we say that these companies are listening to you, but trust us when we say that design folks from HTC might just give your comments a once over. Here's your chance. Don't screw it up.

Spike Jonze's free web film features robot love, vodka, long wait times

We wanted to tell you what Spike Jonze's new web film I'm Here is all about, we really did, and not just because it reportedly has robots in it -- though that was certainly a major factor in the decision. But after we crossed the virtual street to the virtual box office, we were informed that there were no seats left in the virtual theater. Imagine that. So instead of providing our impressions here, we'll just give you the facts. I'm Here is sponsored by Absolut Vodka; I'm Here is a 30-minute love story about humanoids living in Los Angeles. I'm Here can be viewed alongside Facebook friends; I'm Here can only be seen by 5,000 viewers a day. I'm Here promises a "striking online cinema experience," and we were struck by just how lifelike waiting for tickets could be. And if you, too, can't get "in" to see it, I'm Here can satiate you slightly with a one-minute trailer after the break.
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ASUS' Express Gate 2.0 instant-on OS demoed on video

ASUS' original ExpressGate instant-on OS may be getting a little long in the tooth, but it looks like it's finally due for a serious replacement. While it didn't cause much fanfare at the time, ASUS was apparently showing off version 2.0 of the SlashTop-based OS at CeBIT earlier this month, and Notebook Italia has just now provided a quick hands-on video that gives us some idea of what's in store. As you can see, the biggest change is the interface, which now looks more than a little like webOS' cards system, and represents a significant step up form the barebones original. Head on past the break to check it out for yourself.

[Thanks, Sal]
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Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 shipping to small businesses, cupcake lovers

We knew it was only a matter of time before Lenovo finally started shipping the larger and more powerful relatives of the ThinkPad Edge 13. Available from retailers now and Lenovo's own webstore in early April, the 14- and 15-inch Edges have the same design as the Edge 13 -- including the same spill-resistant chiclet keyboard we adore -- but boast more muscle under the hood. While the $599 models pack Celeron processors, they can be configured to your heart's content with Core i3 or i5 CPUs, 5,400 / 7,200rpm drives, Blu-ray and mobile broadband options. And if having a red ThinkPad has always been a drunken fantasy of yours, the Edge 14 and 15 come in a glossy black or red, and a matte black option is there for the traditionalists. Wondering what the Edge 14 and 15 have to do with cupcakes? Apparently Lenovo sent the Edge 14 to a true small business owner -- Lev Ekster, founder of NYC's Cupcake Stop -- a few months ago, and he's been wearing out the AT&T 3G ever since as he gets work done on the go. We've no icing for you, but you can salivate over the full press release after the break.
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Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 series 'will not initially offer copy and paste,' case-specific actions integrated into OS

Here you go, folks, an official statement from Redmond itself on the perennial Windows Phone 7 Series / copy-and-paste discussion. First and foremost, from the onset, there will be no copy and paste in the traditional sense; Microsoft is hoping to bypass the issue by integrating into the OS contextual, single-tap instances for viewing an address on a map (let's hope it has some good recognition algorithms here), doing Bing searches based on highlighted terms, dial a phone number, and so on. But the book isn't entirely closed here, apparently, as the statement goes on to say the company "will continue to improve our feature set over time based on what we hear." We've also got a statement regarding the hacked emulator, to which a representative told us, "we have been very clear that [it] is based on early code and is not reflective of the final user experience," which is a nice way of saying don't get your hopes up on those fun little surprises (task manager, anyone?). Full statements after the break.
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58%

The percentage of sales people that recommend Samsung HDTVs.

Salespeople are also becoming less likely to recommend LCD sets over plasma sets, which goes against the industry trend.

Let the hive mind of Engadget get that for you.
"I just switched to Sprint from Verizon about three months ago for the Pre. Then I went for the Hero about a week ago. Now, I miss my hardware keyboard and am thinking about switching to the Moment. I am still able to switch back to Verizon if I want and get the Droid when it arrives. Should I just trade up to the Moment when it comes out, see if I like it, and if not switch to the Droid? Or something else entirely? Help!"
 

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