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‘Limetown’ trailer shows Facebook’s take on the hit podcast
The first trailer for the Facebook Watch mystery series Limetown is now available. The 10-episode series is based on the popular podcast by the same name. The show stars and was executive produced by Jessica Biel, and it premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this afternoon. The first two episodes are scheduled to launch on October 16th.
Apple Watch Series 3 review: A good watch, a so-so phone replacement
With each generation, the Apple Watch's purpose has seemed to shift. The first one demonstrated what Apple thought a wearable should be, and the second tried to be the perfect workout companion. When it came time to build the Series 3, though, Apple took everything it got right with the fitness-friendly Series 2, polished it up, and threw an LTE radio inside. And lo, the $399 Apple Watch Series 3 became the first of a new breed of Apple devices -- it straddles the line between smartwatch and phone, with a dash of iPod thrown in for good measure. For those who'd rather play it safe, Apple also built a $329 Series 3 with just GPS and no cellular connection. In fact, that safe bet will probably pay off for most people -- the cellular Series 3 is a little too inconsistent for my taste.
Apple Watch Series 3 first look: So far, no LTE problems
The Apple Watch Series 3 started shipping today, and our definitive review is still in the works. In the meantime, we wanted to give you a taste of what life is like with the company's first LTE-connected watch, so when we got it in for review, we said eff it: let's use nothing but the Watch all day. I was going to respond to every text, email and Slack message from my wrist, use it for listening to music on the subway and talk into it as much as I would with my iPhone. To be fair, Apple doesn't seem like a huge advocate of this idea -- it treats the Series 3 as an occasional substitute for an iPhone rather than a day-to-day replacement. That said, this is the first Apple Watch with cellular connectivity. How could we not try this?
Apple Watch Series 3 with 4G starts at £399 in the UK
According to Apple, the Apple Watch is already the most popular timepiece in the world. Despite that apparent dominance, the company is introducing two new versions this autumn; the Series 3 and Series 3 with cellular. Yep, Apple is finally launching a 4G-capable smartwatch, meaning you can track your runs, send iMessages and quiz Siri without your iPhone. Both editions have new internals too. Apple has equipped both with a faster dual-core processor and a new W2 chip, which improves WiFi connectivity and power efficiency. There's also improved heart-rate tracking, which can detect sudden, potentially concerning spikes when you're not exercising.
iOS 11 leak reveals the LTE-enabled Apple Watch
A copy of iOS 11 in its final development stage has leaked online, and 9to5mac has dissected the software to reveal the secrets we're bound to hear during Apple's upcoming event. One of the publication's most notable discoveries is an image of what seems to be the LTE-enabled Apple Watch from within the wearable's app. It has a black Sport band, which indicates that the current bands will also fit the new model, and an eye-catching red Digital Crown. The most telling part of the image, though, is the watchface: it has a signal indicator in the middle that signifies cellular connection, as well as a phone and a navigation icon.
Grabbing and going with BMW's ReachNow car share service
BMW wants to make car sharing classier. Its premium-level ReachNow service launched in Seattle today with BMW 3 Series, i3s and Mini Coopers scattered throughout the downtown area. Its closest vehicle-sharing competitor Car2Go has already filled the city streets with Smart Fortwos. But those tiny cars provide more utility than luxury. While it may seem logical to assume that BMW is competing with Car2Go, the carmaker doesn't see it that way. It's appealing to a different sort of user — the type who wants to commute (or just cruise) around town in style. I drove a few of the German automakers swanky cars in Seattle and while the experience was indeed fancy, it still needs a bit of polish. One of the self-professed key features of the service is how quickly users can register for it — accounts are supposed to be verified within two minutes. Because you take photos of your credit card and driver's license, the sign-up process moves quickly. And while it did take about two minutes to finish the entire process, I was verified before I even got my mailing address plugged into the app. Reservations are equally painless thanks to a map that shows all available vehicles in the area. Tapping on a desired car shows its per-minute rate and license plate number, and if you like what you see, another tap on 'reserve' makes it yours. While you wait for the app to confirm your reservation, it displays a blue walking trail to the vehicle. Should you prefer Google or Apple Maps, you can tap the automobile's location to launch your navigation of choice. You have 30 minutes to get to the rental before the reservation expires. Once you arrive at your car you can unlock the vehicle with either the app or your membership card, but both take just long enough that, if you're impatient like me, you might think it's not working. A few times I kept pressing the card against the windshield again and again trying to unlock the doors. Right when I was about to give up, the car unlocked with two chirps. Frustration, apparently, is part of the luxury experience. Once inside, the center display walks you through the process to start the vehicle -- that includes inputting the PIN you had to create during the registration process to unlock the engine. It even shows you how to start the car. For example, the start/stop button for the Mini Cooper is in the center console and not on or near the steering column. I own a 2011 Mini and was not aware they had moved the button. Once you've jumped through all those hoops, all that's left is to drive the car and enjoy the BMW experience without the corresponding car payments. Of course the company is hoping ReachNow will turn BMW renters into BMW buyers. It even noted that the 70 i3s it added to the Seattle fleet will give anyone wary of electric vehicles the opportunity to actually drive one without having to visit a dealer. BMW may be branching out into mobility, but it still wants to sell cars. While you're using one of these cars, street parking is free. Well, not really. You don't have to pay the meter, but you're charged $0.30 a minute while in away mode. When you park and turn off the car, you're given the option of ending the trip or parking and keeping the car on your account. If you're just going to quickly run into a store, the parking feature is cool. But if you plan on spending any time in a restaurant or shop, it might be better to end the trip and find a another car when you're done. That parking feature conundrum also illuminates one of the other issues with the app. Once you're tied to a vehicle, you can't see if other cars are available in the area until you end your trip. That's fine when a ton of ReachNow rentals are available in the area, but if there aren't, you could let go of your ride and have another user grab it. Then you're left to find another way to get around. If you do decide to bite the bullet and keep paying for the car while it's parked, you can't change your mind once you're out of the vehicle. You have to return to the rental, unlock it, input your PIN and then end the trip. You can't do it from the app. Another weird issue is that while it's very cool that you can set a destination in the app and send it to your reserved car, you can't do it more than once per trip. The BMW in-car navigation system works fine enough, but it's still easier to input addresses on your smartphone. Although the service has its problems, it's still pretty good. At $0.49 a minute with the price capped at $50 for three hours, it's not that much more expensive than Car2Go's $0.41 per minute rate, and ReachNow is even matching Car2Go's rate for a limited time. Is ReachNow worth the extra 8 cents an hour? It is... if you're looking for a fancier driving experience with the odd issue or two.
BMW's 3 and 7 Series to be the first with Nuance's Dragon Drive! Messaging aboard
It somehow feels like it was only yesterday that Nuance unveiled its Dragon Drive! creation to the world, hoping to in the process make drivers' lives easier by delivering a fresh eyes / hands-free messaging system inside connected cars. Unfortunately, back then the savvy company didn't announce any partnerships with auto manufacturers -- still, we had a feeling it wouldn't be too long before one of them would want to come along for the voice dictation ride. The good news is, that's about to change pretty soon. Per the outfit itself, BMW's decided to bring the Dragon Drive! tech to its 2012 7 Series later this month, with the 3 Series Touring and the eco-friendly 3 Series ActiveHybrid expected to get it "later this year." Notably, Dragon Drive! will offer multi-language support, including English, Spanish, Italian, French and German. There's no word yet on just how much the fee for the service will be, but we do know those who land themselves one of these new Beemers will get a two-month trial to take Dragon Drive! for a quick spin.
Samsung Chromebox Series 3 review
More Info Chrome OS review (version 19) Samsung Series 5 550 review Google teases Samsung-built Chromebox, desktop version of Chrome OS What happens when you put a Chromebook in a box? You get a Chromebox, natch. Not content with launching its new Chromebook Series 5 550, Samsung's adding the Chromebox Series 3 -- a diminutive $329 desktop system -- to its lineup. Like its mobile cousin, the box runs version 19 of Chrome OS and features an Intel Core processor. Though it's clearly targeted at the education and enterprise markets, could Samsung's Chromebox be a compelling option for the Engadget reader? Can it transcend its cloud-based workstation origins? Is it a better choice than an entry-level Mac mini? Find out in our review after the break.
TiVo iOS app updated to v1.9 with a few new features, Android tablet app on the way
The TiVo iOS app has been updated v1.9, and whether you're on iPad or iPhone there's a slew of new fixes and tweaks available. On both platforms, the Facebook login has been streamlined, there's To Do List / Season Pass management for Series3 DVRs, ability to create a WishList search and more. The iPad version features a new full-screen Browse UI (shown above) and collapsible folders while the iPhone receives high res retina display quality images. Zatz Not Funny mentions those higher quality pics will come to the iPad as well in the next few weeks, while TiVo's blog post mentions all of these features will arrive in its Android app(s) this summer. We say apps plural, because that's including a specialized Tablet version due in the springtime. For now however, the changelogs for the iOS versions are available at the links below.Update: Just an FYI, the official TiVo app for Android has also been updated, adding support for more resolutions, an exit button in the menu and unspecified performance and stability fixes.
Samsung Series 3 350U laptop delivers colorful ultraportable computing to the Korean masses
Sorry folks, this colorful Series 3 lappy from Sammy is for the fine citizens of Korea only, at least for the moment. The 350U weighs in at just under three pounds and 0.8-inches thick, while housing a Core i5, up to a 640GB HD, a 12.5-inch anti-reflective screen, and a battery large enough to keep it chugging along for over eight hours. Really, the big difference between this notebook and the same-sized Series 3 shipping here in the states are the color options. While Americans all get the same gun-metal gray, our friends across the pacific can pick black, silver or pink (you know, for the ladies). The 350U is priced starting at 1,090,000 won, just over $1,000. Check out the gallery below. %Gallery-134069%
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: laptops
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today we're getting down to the very important business of helping you sift through laptops, and you can always head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Ah, laptops. Some of us received our first notebooks the summer before college if not later. But times have changed and we're sure for many of the kids reading this freshman year is just an excuse to upgrade from the clunkers that carried them through high school. Either way, this one's pretty much mandatory -- unless you're a serious gamer who insists on a desktop GPU for marathon sessions of CoD: Black Ops, you're going to need a laptop for pounding out last-minute term papers in the library, taking notes in class and posting incriminating photos on Facebook. The problem is, the market's overrun with laptops that purport to be just perfect for the back to school set. They can't all be worth your money, though, so we whittled the list down to a handful of choices for each budget -- and if you're lucky you'll get your very own HP Pavilion dm1z for the pretty price of, well, nothing. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details. So wipe off the glasses, grab your clicker, and get ready to jump past the break for a top-level overview of this year's picks for back to school.
Samsung Series 3 laptops crop up on Amazon, 12.1-inch model still AWOL
Samsung's Series 3 laptops deliver more performance-per-dollar than the ultra-thin Series 9, at the expense of -- well, ultra-thinness. That said, the 12.1-inch model hardly struck as megalithic when we went hands-on last month, and we're keen to see it emerge from pre-order status. For those who can't wait, or who prefer a bigger screen and keyboard, then a couple of larger siblings have just become available via third-party retailers at Amazon. There's a 5.5-pound, 15.6-inch variant with an i3 processor, 4GB of DDR3 and a 500GB HDD going for $590. Alternatively, you can pick up a 14-incher for $60 more, with mainly the same specs but a slightly bigger 640GB HDD. As for us, we're holding out for that elusive baby brother, for the sake of its superior i5 processor and our aging knees.
Samsung Series 3 and new Series 9 available for pre-order at J&R
We haven't even seen an official announcement yet regarding Samsung's Series 3 laptops and, already, one has popped up for pre-order at J&R. When we manhandled the 12.1-inch model at Digital Experience we were pretty impressed by the build quality, light weight, and the promise of a low price. Well, this wallet-friendly ultraportable is officially pegged at $750 with a reasonably powerful 2.3GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive inside. The downtown Manhattan staple also happens to have one of those 11.6-inch Series 9s listed for $999. Sure, it only packs a 1.3GHz Core i3 and 2GB of RAM, but the 64GB SSD should compensate for some of its performance shortcomings. Besides, the price premium almost seems worth it when you feel the sub 2.4-pound weight and Duralumin body. The Series 9 should still be shipping in August, and we imagine the Series 3 will launch around the same time -- right on schedule to catch the back to school scramble. More specs and the all important pre-order buttons can be found at the source links. [Thanks, Jaydee]
Samsung Series 3 hands-on
We were strolling around the Metropolitan Pavilion, enjoying the sights and sounds of Digital Experience, when, lo and behold, we spotted a pair of unfamiliar laptops gracing the thick black tablecloth at the Samsung booth. What you see above is just one member, the 12.1-inch model to be specific, of the as yet unannounced Series 3 line. These budget friendly lappies are anything but cheap looking or feeling. The entire lineup has followed in the footsteps of the Series 9, opting for soft brushed finishes that are, at the very least, metal-esque. Gone are the shiny plastics that made your notebook look like evidence at a crime scene. At the bottom end is a 15.6-inch model sporting a dual-core AMD A4 CPU and (oddly) a glossy display. If you want to wipe the reflective sheen from that screen, jump up a notch to the $599 Core i3-sporting version. The 15.6 models reach all the way up to a quad-core Core i7 CPU for $819 and all the Intel varieties pack WiDi (as do the 12.5-inchers). The other sizes (11.6, 12.1, 13.3, and 14 inches) all sport the same premium finishes, solid keyboards, and pleasant touchpads, while being expected to be easy on the wallet. There are still some details to be worked out, and not all specs or prices are finalized but, while we wait for the official PR to roll in, check out our hands-on with the 12.1-inch and 15.6-inch models below. %Gallery-126953%
Synaptics ClearPad 3250 capacitive touchscreen hands-on (video)
In the grand scheme of things, one millimeter may not seem like a lot, but in the smartphone arms race toward ever-slimmer devices, measurements like that matter. Synaptics, best known for building laptop touchpads, has ventured into the capacitive touchscreen realm with a new panel that promises to save exactly that much space: 1mm. But that's only the start. You see, the thinner display profile is the result of Synaptics melding the touch-sensing layer and the display into one, using what it calls in-cell technology, with the result being something roughly comparable to Samsung's Super AMOLED implementation. The benefit of going with Synaptics, however, is that the company's tech is compatible with all display types, meaning that everything from garden variety LCDs to high-density IPS panels can be infused with a bit of touch sensitivity. Additional benefits include extra brightness, as there is one fewer layer for light to get through, and significantly higher sensitivity than on most current generation touch panels. You can see a pretty compelling demo of that on video just past the break. The ClearPad 3250 should find its way to shipping devices over the next nine months, with its current iteration capable of being fitted to screens up to five inches in size and a subsequent model scaling all the way out to eight inches. %Gallery-116638%
TiVo brings Pandora to Series3, HD boxes
About a month after debuting on TiVo Premiere, the DVR company announced Pandora's music streaming service is available on its older Series3 and HD units. The interface should be familiar to anyone who's used the app on any other devices with its custom stations and thumbs up/down rating system, just check under TiVo Central > Music, Photos, & Showcases > Pandora and it should be right there.
TiVo Desktop Software hits version 2.8.1, adds folder view from PC, export for iPad, Pre & more
The latest version (2.8.1) of the TiVo Desktop software is official, and it's added a few new features in both its free edition and the upgraded Plus package. The basic software has added a few additional settings, but the most notable is the ability to view folders on a PC from the DVR itself. Those paying $24.95 for TiVo Desktop Plus should notice increased video quality on PSP TiVoToGo exports, plus new profiles for the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, DROID, Pre and several Blackberry models. Dave Zatz has already gotten his hands on the latest version, reporting some issues connecting to a TiVo Premiere; hit the download page for your own copy and let us know how it works.
New UI, tweaked hardware in store for TiVo's March reveal?
We already know all of you have more than a few ideas about what TiVo should or will bring to the table March 2, but an anonymous tipster claiming knowledge of recent developments in the beta program let us know what may be coming. Although it began as simple bug fixes for the Series 3 now an all new user experience is on the way that the company expects to perfect the DVR. The UI is speedy again, rising to the level of the older Series 2 but with new high res, crisp widescreen elements designed to look great on your HDTV. Other fixes that should have the faithful drooling are a capacity meter for add-on drives and Tivo Desktop enhancements including "Sling-esque" features. Naturally, add-ons like Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster and even Facebook lead the app charge with faster and easier program access. No real details on what's new on the hardware side, but that QWERTY remote seems to be a sure bet, we'll be counting down the next 19 days until we know for sure.
TiVo planning a new "Premiere" DVR?
A packaging mixup may have revealed the next DVR coming from TiVo. Unfortunately this doesn't appear to be the Series4 we were looking for, but the "TiVo Premiere" (or Premiere XL) instructions sent along with a new TiVo HD to self-described Chicagoland geek Patrick McCarron show a slimmed down box with one (multistream only) CableCARD slot instead two and no S-video or phone jack. The prevailing speculation is this is a lower cost revision of the existing Series3 hardware that could be on shelves very soon, but we're still hoping for updated internals and UI to make TiVo fresh for the next decade. The full instructions are scanned and posted over at Infinite Shamrock, for confirmation and any real details on what's next we'll probably be waiting until next week in Las Vegas.
Is a new TiVo imminent?
It is no secret that we have a love hate relationship with TiVo. Many of us use them everyday and could easily fill your ear with gripes. It is one of the reasons we've had TiVo on a deathwatch for almost half of the company's 10 year life. Now we do believe it is the best HD DVR set-top on the market --which isn't saying much -- and because we believe that there is something here to salvage, we try our best to offer some constructive criticism. So when our optimistic side saw news about the $50 price break on the current models, we started to think, dream, that this might be a closeout and that a new TiVo might be imminent. Here are the facts. TiVo hasn't released a new DVR since the TiVo HD in the Summer of 2007. The last major TiVo announcement was September of 2008 when a new DirecTV HD TiVo was revealed. The chip that makes the TiVo magic happen just got a big upgrade when Broadcom announced the super feature rich BCM7125. A new 802.11N WiFi adapter was submitted to the FCC, even though the current TiVos can barely utilize all of a 802.11G connection. Add all of this in with the fact that 2010 is supposed to be the big year for a real tru2way launch, and we officially have our hopes up that TiVo has a big announcement for 10th CES in January. Now before you get too excited, we should point out that TiVo hasn't made any big announcements at CES since 2005, and has even told some that TiVo won't make big announcements at the show because they tend to be overshadowed. Now we'd argue that if you have something big enough to be a highlight of the show, then there is no better time, otherwise yeah, wait for a slow news day. All that being said, the original DirecTV TiVo HD (2004) and the Series 3 (2005) were both announced at the big show. Of course we will have to wait to find out, but in the meantime click through to see our personal wish list.
