Engadget’s tablet buyer’s guide: spring 2012 edition
As spring reaches full blossom, it's not just the flowers that are beginning to show -- so are the new slates heavy hitters teased back at CES. So, what does that mean? It means it's high-time that we cast a fresh glance over the tablet landscape, took in a deep breath of slate-infused air and exhaled a hearty Engadget tablet buyer's guide. We've been running the smartphone equivalent for a little while now, so we thought it only fair to give the now-mature tablet category one of its own. We're going to look at the main categories of fondleslabbery and carve out what we think are the finest offerings on the market right now. It doesn't matter if you're looking for something big, small, just good enough or so powerful that it could replace your laptop: we've collected our favorites and shepherded them safely into this one humble guide. Of course, if you want to cast your net a little wider, you can always check out our tablet review hub, but if you struggle with indecision, head on past the break to see what's hot right now in Tablet Land.
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Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung clarifies camera production shift, confirms commitment to point-and-shoot models
We've heard reports that Samsung has shifted focus at some of its camera manufacturing facilities away from point-and-shoot cameras with the objective of ramping up production of its compact mirrorless models. And while this move implies that the company's pocketable compacts could be doomed, that's simply not the case. We spoke with Reid Sullivan, Samsung's Senior Vice President of Mobile Entertainment, who reinforced the company's continuing commitment to developing and manufacturing point-and-shoot models -- in short, pocketable cameras remain a focus for the company, which simply made manufacturing adjustments to accommodate an anticipated increase in demand for recently-launched NX20, NX210 and NX1000. Point-and-shoots, for better or worse, are here to stay, and Sullivan explained that while we're unlikely to see new sub-$100 cameras make their debut, there's plenty in the works on the SMART front, with new launches in store for upcoming events like Photokina and CES. Whether there will continue to be demand for point-and-shoots remains to be seen, and while consumers are clearly turning to smartphones for casual shooting, Samsung appears to be in no hurry to abandon the point-and-shoot form-factor.
Samsung clarifies camera production shift, confirms commitment to point-and-shoot models originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google patent application could mean melody-matching for YouTube
YouTube has become a treasure trove for rare live editions, outtakes and covers of popular songs -- the latter making stars out of acts like Pomplamoose. However, Google and the recording industry don't feel the same way, but the site's famous content filtering system can only handle exact matches of recorded songs -- so that 14-year-old moppet's cover version of Born this Way remains unfiltered. That could change should a patent application made available today result in a workable product. It describes a Melody Identification system that'll pluck out a "melody fingerprint" from any uploaded file and then determine the appropriate "rights management" to apply -- which sounds ominous. The patents haven't been granted and nowhere in the text of either document does it reveal how the company plans to deal with songs that sound very, very similar, but we can't imagine what'll be left if the worst comes to pass: lots of mute cat videos, probably.
Update: Josh Rice in comments pointed out that Pomplamoose actually buys the rights to its covers. That's the nicest form of prior art there is.
Google patent application could mean melody-matching for YouTube originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comcast rethinks bandwidth caps, trials two new policies that involve higher 300GB monthly limits
Comcast's bandwidth policy has come under fire from several directions lately, and today it's announced plans to test two new systems for managing capacity. In a company blog post, VP Cathy Avgiris describes the new "flexible" approaches it will be testing out in certain markets that start off by raising the limit to 300GB (from 250GB where it's been since 2008) per month. One of the plans involves offering 300GB as a base on its Essentials, Economy, and Performance internet packages, and higher limits on its Blast and Extreme tiers, with extra data available as an add-on, possibly $10 for 50GB or so. The other plan simply bumps all tiers to 300GB per month and offers the additional blocks of data as needed. For markets where it's not testing the new plans, it's suspending enforcement of the 250GB cap entirely for now, although it says it will still contact "excessive" users about their usage.
We're currently on a conference call concerning the changes and Comcast is reaffirming its belief that the FCC has decided it can "manage" data usage on its network, and that it will continue to do so in a "non-discriminatory" way. Particularly since the launch of its Xfinity TV Xbox 360 app others like Netflix and some consumer and networking watchdogs would beg to differ, it will be interesting to see if these approaches change anything. Executives on the call noted "noise" around the Xbox 360 app in making the change, but also pointed to an "ongoing internal discussion" and simply that times have changed from four years ago. The words that keep coming up so far are choice and flexibility, as well as mentioning that even today, very few customers approach the previous 250GB limit. In response to a question, Avgiris indicated the median usage for customers is still around 8-10GB per month.
...developing
Comcast rethinks bandwidth caps, trials two new policies that involve higher 300GB monthly limits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 13:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia’s very own QR-coated Welsh town (video)
Wikipedia's credence as a fount of reliable knowledge is indubitably dubious. That said, its penchant for community contribution is what's snowballed the site into a go-to digital destination for most online denizens. But forebear of a QR-indexed, former principality? Surely, there's a limit to the social web's reach. Well, come May 19th, that odd, but apt distinction will officially encapsulate Monmouthpedia, née Monmouth, Wales -- an experiment in informational graffiti. The project, originally born from a Bristol-based TEDx talk, has taken half a year for founder John Cummings to execute given the need for County Council and local business support, the installation of a pervasive, free WiFi network and additional article contributions from site volunteers. And thanks to QRpedia, curious mobile-wielding tourists that chance upon the quaint Welsh town will need only to scan the omnipresent codes for an easy redirect to a corresponding language-appropriate article. Lest you think this web-to-real world experiment is merely a one-off, bear in mind those code-bearing ceramic plates are built to last. Hop on past the break for a French-subbed informational video tour.
Continue reading Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia's very own QR-coated Welsh town (video)
Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia's very own QR-coated Welsh town (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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