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Facebook is no stranger to letting members use real money in web apps, but only for in-app purchases. Its new App Center on the web and in mobile versions will let you buy web apps that have an up-front cost to use rather than shoehorning you into a freemium or subscription model. The portal will even have its own shopping portal, although it'll mostly be based around -- surprise -- recommendations coming from your social network profile. The addition should, in theory, lead to premium games and other apps that wouldn't fit into the Facebook Credit mould. Facebook is taking developer beta sign-ups now, although the apps themselves will have to wait.

Facebook starts App Center beta, readies itself for paid web apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Indirectly or not, the other guys seem to enjoy their time spent with CloudOn's unorthodox delivery of Microsoft Office. Fortunately for you, the service just announced it's now available to the Android folk -- at least to those with a Google certified slate. The CloudOn application comes as a freebie and it's compatible with tablets running Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich. Keep in mind that, aside from creating / editing docs on Word, Excel and PowerPoint, you'll also be able to open almost any file thanks to Adobe Reader. Furthermore, the company revealed it now offers support for Google Drive, joining the likes of Dropbox and Box as part of the cloud lineup. Ready to give it a go? It's up for grabs now via Google Play, but before you do that, there's a vid waiting for you past the break.

Continue reading CloudOn brings its Office to Android tablets, adds support for Google Drive (video)

CloudOn brings its Office to Android tablets, adds support for Google Drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've spent our fair share of time behind the dash of Tesla's gorgeous Model S, though there hasn't been an opportunity to push the all-electric vehicle to its limits on the fuel battery front. The sedan still isn't quite ready for a full-on range test, but the manufacturer has provided a teaser in the form of some updated stats, with a line graph demonstrating consistent improvements over the Roadster. Assuming constant highway travel at speeds of 50-70 miles-per-hour, the Model S is expected to continue rolling for 250-350 miles on a single charge, with the car possibly exceeding 400 miles at slower speeds (think 35 mph and below, but still on the highway). There's an 85 kWh battery on board (compared to 55 kWh on the Roadster), and despite taking a massive hit for size and weight, the Model S only consumes about 10 percent more power than its more-svelte sibling. Those figures apply to the mph listed above, and speed demons can expect to see a massive dive in range. Sounds like we can expect some fiery performance on the road -- just, hopefully not in the garage -- when the sedan begins making its way to customers next month, ahead of the original July ship proposal. Hop on past the break and hit up our source link for some nifty graphs, along with Tesla's findings in full.

Continue reading Tesla publishes Model S efficiency and range stats, expects 350 highway miles per charge

Tesla publishes Model S efficiency and range stats, expects 350 highway miles per charge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 18:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When established enterprise competition is currently hurting, now's the time to strike. At least, that appears to be HTC's thinking, which has refreshed its HTCpro site that encompasses the manufacturer's suit-centered features and mobile solutions. This includes security guidelines for personal devices brought into businesses by its employees and more info on business apps created by its partners. Now, we're obviously all about the mobile business solutions here at Engadget and if you're looking to play buzzword bingo with the likes of maximize, leverage and innovation, you can hit up the source. You should be able to find plenty of excuses reasons why the entire office needs, nay, demands new One Xs.

HTC reckons it's business time, includes requisite 'pro' suffix originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Three years is quite a long time for any one gadget to complete its product cycle -- even a high-end DSLR. The D700 remained on its flagship DSLR perch since its launch in the summer of 2008, all the way through Nikon's D800 announcement earlier this year. During that tenure, the full-frame camera became the primary workhorse for a bounty of photography pros, and it appears safe to confirm that its successor is up to the same task. The 36.3-megapixel D800 has completed its labs tour, leaving reviewers with positive impressions across the board.

As always, DPReview offers some of the most comprehensive analysis on the web, and highlights several advantages over the D800's competitor, the Canon 5D Mark III, including a higher megapixel count (36MP vs. 22MP) and a significantly lower price tag ($3,000 vs. $3,500). CNET struggles to identify cons, and praises the cam for its "stellar photos, excellent videos, speedy performance, and a relatively streamlined shooting design." Ken Rockwell brings a D800E into the reviews mix, concluding that the low-pass-filter-less flavor isn't the best fit for everyone. Finally, newcomer The Photo Brigade put the camera in the hands of Preston Mack, a professional on assignment who used the DSLR to capture a GigaPan photo for MLB.com and offered this takeaway: "I am very happy with the Nikon D800 camera. It is an amazing value." Overall, seems like quite a hit -- you'll find links to all of the above reviews just past the break.

Continue reading Nikon D800 review roundup: significant upgrades to an already top-notch DSLR

Nikon D800 review roundup: significant upgrades to an already top-notch DSLR originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 19:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What better way to see what a smartphone camera is made of than taking a tour of the best of what New Orleans has to offer? We were given the opportunity to take the forthcoming HTC EVO 4G LTE on a brief tour of the city here at CTIA 2012. Our full review of Sprint's latest LTE-capable device is on the way, but we want to give you a small teaser to arouse your curiosity ahead of time. So check out some of the sights through HTC's 8MP ImageSense camera and take a look at how it stacks up against the likes of the One X and One S below!

Gallery: HTC EVO 4G LTE first sample shots

Continue reading First sample shots with HTC's EVO 4G LTE for Sprint

First sample shots with HTC's EVO 4G LTE for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 20:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been jonesing to get your app into the Windows Store and don't want to compete for attention with the developing masses when Windows 8 ships, Microsoft might just have your ticket to the front of the line. Developer Evangelist Matt Harrington is offering a fast track for developers that write a "great" app, contact him through his blog and meet all the app submission conditions needed to get Microsoft's rubber stamp. Along with receiving a token to enter the store well ahead of most others, those privileged few who clear the hurdles can get help from a Microsoft engineer to give their Windows 8 apps that extra polish. When the development floodgates open to everyone is still an unknown, although a handful of workshops between May 11 and June 8 should give app writers an edge in getting started.

Microsoft gives Windows 8 developers a head start on Windows Store app submissions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Summer Olympics in London are quickly turning into mobile-themed games: along with Samsung's official role in handling mobile payments, HTC is now stepping up with its own, if modest, contribution to the athletic get-together. CEO Peter Chou will be one of the Olympic torchbearers and carry the flame on July 6th, three weeks before the opening ceremony in Stratford. Officials say the torch run is to honor Chou's contribution to the mobile industry and the benefit he represents to Taiwan, although we can imagine that Chou wouldn't mind crashing a Samsung party with a torch in one hand and a One X in the other. He may just want to steer clear of Samsung's Mobile Pin stores while he's at it.

HTC chief Peter Chou to run Olympic torch relay, invade hostile territory originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Right on schedule, Sony and Activision have teamed up again for this "Limited Edition" Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 bundle that's due to ship May 25th. Unfortunately, once you've opened the box the special experience is pretty much over, with only standard console and game inside, replacing the usual Uncharted 3 offering -- unlike last year's 160GB Black Ops combo, there's no free DLC (or anything else) to be had. Still, if you somehow don't have Sony's gaming machine in your living room already and have been aching to own some noobs on PSN then it's a decent option, even if any perks will have to be earned in-game.

Sony's barebones $299 Call of Duty: MW3 and 320GB PS3 bundle hits the streets May 25th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 22:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Used to be, musicians were judged (commercially speaking, of course) by how much radio play they got and how many albums and singles they sold. The UK's answer to Billboard, the Official Charts Company, has seen a future filled with streaming music from services like Spotify, Napster and Deezer and decided that it needed a streaming chart to truly judge the success or failure of today's, and tomorrow's, top tunes. Thus, a Top 100 streaming chart was created and is set to launch next Monday, May 14. So, who rules the web across the pod, sonically speaking? You'll have to wait for the full list, but a preview of the top ten artists awaits in the PR below.

Continue reading UK gets official Top 100 music streaming chart next week, Billboard seen crying in the corner

UK gets official Top 100 music streaming chart next week, Billboard seen crying in the corner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 23:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As promised at CES earlier this year, TiVo has released its Spring update with the anticipated new Netflix and YouTube apps, as well as porting parental control options to the Premiere's HD user interface. Netflix is the most intriguing of the additions, but while TiVo Premiere owners can now watch Netflix 1080p programming with Dolby Digital Plus discrete surround sound, like Hulu Plus, it isn't a TiVo experience. The new Google-built YouTube app is also like any other streamer and with the exception of search, there isn't much integration at all. Parental control options can finally be set when using the HD UI, but still isn't as full featured as it was with the old UI and is a far cry from KidZone. What the update doesn't do yet however, is complete the HD interface transformation that some Premiere owners have been waiting two years for. Still, we suspect that caveat won't stop owners from rolling the dice on an update check for their TiVo every day over the next few weeks.

TiVo Spring update brings new Netflix and YouTube experience originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the recent spring TiVo Premiere update we figured it was as good of a time as any to spend some quality time with the newly-renamed TiVo Premiere XL4. The highest model in the TiVo line, the XL4 costs $399 plus $15 a month, or $499 for lifetime service. For the money, it records four HD shows at once with a single CableCARD and offers 2TB of storage. More tuners and space aren't the only things that have changed since we gave the original TiVo Premiere a once-over just two years ago. No, there have been a few notable releases as well as the release of the TiVo Slide Remote and a number of TiVo companion apps for phones and tablets. How all that comes together is exactly what you'll find out should you choose to click on through to the other side.

Gallery: TiVo Premiere XL4

Continue reading TiVo Premiere XL4 review

TiVo Premiere XL4 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 00:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While we're still waiting for Toshiba to deliver its top of the line 55X3 HDTV with 4K resolution and glasses-free 3D technology here in the US, it just announced a step-down model in Japan. The Regza 55XS5 keeps the 3840 x 2160 LCD panel, but switches to edge LED lighting instead of local dimming and drops 3D altogether, autostereoscopic or otherwise. There's a CEVO Duo image processing engine inside the slimmed-down frame upconverting your standard HDTV res inputs to QFHD, as well as support for apps and USB hard drive for recording broadcasts. This model should ship in June on the other side of the Pacific for an "open price" expected to be around 750,000 yen ($9,410 US), slightly lower than the X3's 900,00 yen launch price last December.

Toshiba's 55XS5 brings quad HD without the glasses-free 3D tech to Japan in June originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 00:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It was only a matter of time before Fujifilm's latest ruggedized shooter, the FinePix XP170, made a quick stop by the FCC offices and, well, it's about that time. The filings don't reveal many details we didn't already know, meaning you're still getting those WiFi sharing features to Android / iOS and that 14-megapixel CMOS sensor with 1080p video capabilities to take on your adventures. At this rate it's safe to say that you better have those 280 bucks ready, as this rugged Fuji's next stop is sure to be the retail shelves. We don't think FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, would mind you peeking at the black and white files, so hit the source link below if you're interested in doing so.

Fujifilm FinePix XP170 rugged camera pays a visit to the FCC, leaves raincoat behind originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 00:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We got an eyeful of Samsung's stunning 55-inch OLED HDTV prototypes earlier this year at CES, but now Samsung is surprising the world by showing off its first mass produced ES9500 models at the World's Fair (which is apparently still a thing?) in Korea. Beyond the Smart Interaction voice and gesture control, Smart Content and Smart Evolution upgradeable dual-core CPU features found in its other high-end HDTVs, Samsung has also built in Smart Dual View technology, which lets users watch two different programs (2D) on one screen at the same time using the set's 3D glasses.

....developing

Continue reading Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World's Fair

Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World's Fair originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 01:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We actually have one more EliteBook to introduce, and this time it's an Ultrabook. The EliteBook Folio 9470m is ready to sidle up next to the Folio 13, HP's first business-grade Ultrabook, as a higher-end option. The 14-inch Folio is thin and light, starting at 3.6 pounds, but the 0.75-inch chassis makes room for an impressive collection of ports, including USB 3.0, Ethernet, DisplayPort and VGA. Since this Ivy Bridge laptop is balancing its Ultrabook identity with a business classification, it features an embedded TPM security chip, a smart card reader, security lock slot, full volume encryption and a security screw. Pricing starts at $1,149, and HP will begin shipping in October. Skip past the break for the presser, and check out our hands-on gallery below.

Gallery: HP EliteBook Folio hands-on

Gallery: HP EliteBook Folio

Continue reading HP unveils second business Ultrabook, the EliteBook Folio

HP unveils second business Ultrabook, the EliteBook Folio originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You may have noticed that HP unleashed a torrent of laptops today, but at the heart of it all, even more crucial than those Ultrabooks and business laptops, are the notebooks Hewlett-Packard plans to sell to college kids during the all-important back-to-school season. This go-round, the company's redesigned both its mainstream Pavilion dv series, as well as its entry-level "g" laptops, though the range of sizes (14 to 17 inches) is pretty predictable. In addition, the outfit also introduced the Pavilion m6, a slim 15-incher that isn't technically an Ultrabook, but nonetheless joins a growing group of thin-and-lights with unexpectedly large screens. Throughout, as you'd expect, HP's refreshed its laptops on the inside too -- namely, with newer Intel and AMD chips, along with fresher GPUs. We've got a full break-down of specs, prices, design notes and availability details after the break, though we've also got photos and the full press release below if you've got some important study session to hurry to.

Gallery: HP Pavilion dv4 (white) and dv6 (black) hands-on

Gallery: HP Pavilion m6 hands-on

Gallery: HP Pavilion dv4 and dv6 / dv7 (2012)

Gallery: HP g6 and g7 (2012)

Gallery: HP Pavilion m6

Continue reading HP refreshes its Pavilion laptops ahead of back-to-school season, intros six new models

HP refreshes its Pavilion laptops ahead of back-to-school season, intros six new models originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 23:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HP is in full-on laptop-unveiling mode, and the company's business line isn't getting left out -- in fact, it has five new models -- including an 11-incher, a first for this series. The boardroom-bound EliteBooks are making the step up to Ivy Bridge, but it's also adding the option of LTE across the board. All models will ship with SRS Premium Sounds PRO and an optional 720p webcam. We have a complete breakdown of the models past the break, and you can find hands-on shots, along with the official press release below.

Gallery: HP EliteBook Folio hands-on

Gallery: HP EliteBook 2170p

Gallery: HP EliteBook 2570p

Gallery: HP EliteBook 8470p

Gallery: HP EliteBook 8570p

Continue reading HP refreshes EliteBook line with five new models, Ivy Bridge and optional LTE

HP refreshes EliteBook line with five new models, Ivy Bridge and optional LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 23:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Along with tons of new notebooks, HP is unveiling a 23-inch display, the 2311xi. The screen has a 1920 x 1080 resolution with a brightness of 250 nits, and it makes use of an IPS panel to promise wide viewing angles (178 degrees both horizontally and vertically). For connecting your PC, there's also VGA, HDMI and DVI-D input. The display will go for $240 starting June 24th. Check out the gallery of press photos below and, if you're really curious, feast your eyes on HP's demo video below the break.

Gallery: HP 2311xi

Continue reading HP outs new 23-inch 2311ix IPS backlit monitor

HP outs new 23-inch 2311ix IPS backlit monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 23:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week we've got plenty of Media Center news, tied up in an overall Microsoft-centric episode focused on its new subsidized Xbox 360 offer and plans for Windows 8. Fortunately, we've got the perfect guest on hand as the illustrious James Montemagno of Ceton joins us for this podcast. Once we're through talking consoles, extenders and mobile apps there's still more to discuss with new Google TV sets on the way, Comcast rolling out its upgraded DVR platform and much, much more.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)
Guest: James Montemagno (@JamesMontemagno)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

00:38:10 - Microsoft officially offering Xbox 360 4GB console for $99, two-year Live Gold subscription required
00:52:30 - Microsoft breaks down Windows 8's Media Center upgrade path, Dolby codec support
00:55:00 - Microsoft talks DVD, Media Center support in Windows 8 and why most won't miss it
01:05:55 - LG's Google TV-enabled sets coming to US end of May
01:10:05 - Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming
01:11:50 - Sony exec confirms IPTV aspirations, says they're on hold due to bandwidth caps
01:17:55 - Comcast VOD coming to Boston TiVos, next gen X1 DVR platform could launch there too
01:19:00 - Comcast earnings beat expectations for Q1
01:22:04 - Dish Network, AMC dispute could see the network's channels dropped this summer
01:24:40 - Yamaha outs RX-V773WA, RX-V673 receivers: AirPlay and 4K / 3D passthrough on board
01:27:10 - Must See HDTV (May 7th - 13th)

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget HD Podcast 298 - 05.08.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.