Section: Video, Communications, Computers, Mobile Computers, Web, Online Music/Video With Netflix now working on some Android devices, there’s still one major web video outlet that isn’t on the platform: Hulu. Well, if you have a hacked Nook Color, and don’t mind running video at 288p, there’s a way for you to watch your favorite Hulu videos on your $250 tablet. The hack comes from Android Central user huskermania, and involves using the Dolphin web browser to trick Hulu, and a modified version of Adobe Flash. If you’ve already hacked your Nook Color, chances are the steps to enable Hulu on the device will seem relatively simple. All it really takes in downloading the modified Flash, getting it to your device via Dropbox, enabling it in Dolphin Browser HD, and changing the user agent for the browser. As mentioned earlier, the video will only run smoothly at 288p, which might be acceptable to some. Huskermania claims he got the hack to work on a rooted Droid Incredible as well, but only shows the hack working on the Nook Color. It sounds like a decent workaround if you have a rooted phone, and can live with the poor video resolution. Everyone else would probably be better waiting for Hulu Plus to come to Android, if it ever does. Sure, it’ll cost $8 each month, but at least you’ll be garaunteed that it’ll work.  Read [Android Central] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Computers, Mobile Computers 
RIM has refuted claims from an anonymous retailer who said the BlackBerry PlayBook is not selling as well as expected. A Boy Genius Report retail source said the BlackBerry PlayBook was being returned at a rate of about 7%. Furthermore, the source said PlayBook sales fell 90% short of what the retailer was expecting. While those claims don’t bode well for the PlayBook’s image, RIM has stepped in with a statement to address the source’s claims. The following is a statement sent to us from RIM. The source of the reported comment is anonymous and unknown to RIM, but the comment is certainly inconsistent with the positive feedback we have received from our main retail partners. As previously indicated, RIM will provide a business update on BlackBerry PlayBook results on June 16.
RIM then pointed us to a statement from Best Buy who said that BlackBerry PlayBook sales exceeded its sales expectations. Best Buy also said that customers are more likely to purchase the PlayBook after they have seen and tested it in Best Buy stores. The PlayBook is missing a few critical features such as a native email application and a greater selection of tablet-oriented apps. That may be enough to turn some people off, but the PlayBook performs quite well in other areas. Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here's your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles! - Alarm Dock turns wood and iPhone into alarm clock with style
” Simplicity itself is how one might describe the Alarm Dock. Carved from wood, the Alarm Dock provides a simple dock for your iPhone that turns it into a common looking alarm clock. For just $39,…” MORE » - Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab will get Android 2.3 Gingerbread beginning in mid-May
” Samsung has confirmed the good news for Galaxy S smartphone and Galaxy Tab tablet users—the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread will be arriving as early as mid-May. Of course, not everyone using one of those devices will get Gingerbread in mid-May. According to the details coming…” MORE » - 4G Samsung Infuse lands at AT&T for $199
” As promised, the 4G Samsung Infuse is now on sale at AT&T. The feature set reads like a list of what’s hot: 4G, 4.5” Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen, Android 2.2 and an 8MP camera. Samsung claims this phone to be the thinnest 4G smartphone…” MORE » - Timbuk2 takes on Apple with Smart Cover alternatives
” It seems like just yesterday I went hands on with the Timbuk2 Envelope Sleeve. Today we find two new options from the company that remove the need for Apple’s Smart Cover, the Kickstand and Popup. Both…” MORE » - Gadgetell first look: Timbuk2 Envelope Sleeve for iPad 2
” If you plan on doing any sort of traveling with your iPad, you’ll need some kind of sleeve or case to carry it in. That’s where Timbuk2’s Envelope Sleeve comes into play. Here’s my first impression:…” MORE » - Samsung Galaxy S II gets update: Swype and auto-bright fix
” Even though the Samsung S Galaxy II is new to the market, Samsung has been cranking away on fixes for some common issues. The phone features a monster 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus screen along with a zippy dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The fixes are the second update the…” MORE » - What’s wrong with 900 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets?
” Staples issued a seek and repair statement internally after being notified by RIM that 900 pieces of it’s new PlayBook tablet are faulty. Staples issued the order to all stores and is looking for the PlayBooks by serial number. It would seem, only a certain range are…” MORE » - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet now available for pre-order with J&R
” It looks like the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has come available for pre-order. The tablet, which is available in 16GB and 32GB storage options can be found with J&R and…” MORE » - HP inches closer to actually releasing the webOS running TouchPad tablet
” We have been seeing a bit more in terms of the HP TouchPad tablet as of late. Just a few days back we saw that Playboy Magazine was giving it some love in the form of an estimated price and in the past…” MORE » - Xperia Play debuts in the U.S. on May 26 for $199
” Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play (also known as the PlayStation Phone) will find be available in the United States on May 26. It will only be offered on Verizon and will cost $199 with a two-year contract. The Xperia Play was leaked…” MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware Despite recent numbers, it seems the BlackBerry PlayBook hasn’t been selling too well. RIM’s tablet seems to have missed sales targets by quite a bit, and it looks like the tablet has a pretty high return rate. According to a source that talked to BGR, one major retailer missed their sales expectations for the PlayBook by more than 90 percent. Not only that, but the return rate on the devices that were sold were higher than the Xoom, which itself has a 7 percent return rate. Both undefined figures sound pretty bad, especially considering how much RIM has put into the tablet. If this source is correct, perhaps the numbers were too high to start, or the numbers were overestimated how many people would want to buy a 7-inch tablet with no proper email client. RIM and some analysts still contend sales of the PlayBook have been great so far. Perhaps someday soon we’ll get an exact figure so we can determine for ourselves. Read [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Gadgets / Other, ebooks  New shipments of the Nook Color will come with a restriction that older models do not have. Apparently the new models can be spotted by a distinctive blue dot on the Nook Color box. The internal changes aren’t that big of a deal if you’re not too hung up on internal storage. If you are though, you’ll probably want to hunt down an older model.
Barnes & Noble altered the Nook Color so that users can only have access to 1GB of internal storage. In the past, the Nook Color allowed users to take advantage of 5GB of storage. According to a Barnes & Noble statement, via Engadget, the alteration was made “to ensure ample space for a customer’s Nook Library and Nook Apps.” Basically, Barnes & Noble doesn’t want you filling up all that precious space with things you haven’t purchased from them. Depending on what kind of content you may want to put on the Nook Color, 1GB can be used up fairly quickly. All is not lost because the Nook Color does have a microSD slot that can accept card sizes up to 32GB. You can snag one of those for around $55 or a 16GB card for $20. B&N is also expected to announce a new Nook on May 24. Site [Barnes and Noble] Read [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Computers, Mobile Computers, Software / Applications Yahoo! has just brought another video chat option to the iPad 2 with the latest update to it’s Yahoo! Messenger app. Version 2.1 of the app finally brings tablet support, and adds in the ability to video chat from your iPad 2 to your Yahoo! Messenger friends. With Yahoo! Messenger 2.1 you can use your iPad 2 to video chat with anyone else on iOS, Mac, or PC. So, if you don’t want to use FaceTime, or your friend only has a PC, you have another option for video chat. Of course, the app has a bit more than just video chat. There’s also better spam management, so you can block multiple friends requests from one screen. No longer will you have to block each individual request, which can get tiresome. The update also solvs an issue where users would be randomly signed out of their accounts. So, the update is pretty much to add tablet support and fix some nagging issues and bugs. Not bad at all. Via [9to5Mac] and [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Websites, Google Google has announced an upgrade to it’s Google Talk service, making it easier for users to communicate with friends on other services. Starting right now you can talk to your friends who use AIM right from Google Talk. Your AIM friends can be added directly into Google Talk, all you have to do is add “@aol.com” at the end of their username. Then you’ll be able to talk to them anywhere you use Google Talk such as within Gmail. It means you won’t need a separate app to talk to your friends if you use an Android phone, all you need is the Google Talk app. If you have a lot of AIM buddies, and don’t want to add them one by one, don’t worry, AOL has set up a website to transfer your entire buddy list. It seems like there’s a lot of people wanting to transfer their friends, though, because the website is giving an error statin it’s over capacity as of this writing. This is especially nice if you’re looking to consolidate all your friends into one friends list without using a third-party app like Adium or Trillian and you don’t like Facebook chat. The one use I know I’ll get out of this new ability is being able to talk to AIM friends while I’m using Chrome OS. Sure, I could open a tab of Meebo, but having a Google Talk panel just seems so much easier, and know there’s a reason to actually use it. Read [Official Gmail Blog] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Gaming, Mobile, Portable  Verizon just recently began accepting pre-orders for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and the handset was not expected to be available until May 26th. Well, it looks like at least some of those who went forward with a pre-order will be getting their delivery a bit early. That being said, at least one tipster has provided his proof of shipment to the Droid-Life blog and is reporting that the delivery is set for May 23rd, which is this coming Monday. Of course, we have seen Verizon do this in the past with a few pre-ordered handsets. Most recent that comes to mind was with the iPhone 4 when some users scored their unit a few days early. I guess pre-ordering does have some advantages from time to time.
Via [Droid-Life] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Websites, Online Music/Video Netflix is now the single largest source of internet traffic according to the network monitoring firm, Sandvine. Their data suggests that Netflix accounted for 29.7% of downstream US traffic in March. These numbers oust even web browsing and P2P file sharing. Co-founder of UK-based IDNet, Simon Davies, claims that ISPs are not suited to handle TV broadcasts. “The problem comes with events like the World Cup and the Olympics, where you get ‘flash floods’,” he said. “It’s very difficult to engineer a network that can scale to four times when there’s a ‘flash flood’. The Olympics are going to cause a problem.”
ISPs (as they currently stand) might have a hard time handling the sheer bandwidth for events such as The Olympics, but this won’t stop them from upgrading their technical capabilities. As the way things seem to be panning out, the internet will undoubtedly be replacing broadcast television in the long run. Beyond sites like Hulu and YouTube, you can already catch your favorite sports games on the web. The future is now, and with broadband speeds increasing across the globe, bandwidth issues will eventually be a thing of the past. Via [BBC] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers And just like that, we now have another HP TouchPad tablet sighting. Sadly though, this latest, similar to the previous ones are not in-the-wild style. Anyway, the latest place the TouchPad has appeared is the B&H product catalog and before anyone gets super excited, there is not any way to place an order or even a price. The details include a name, picture and a brief set of specs with a note to “call or log-on”. Of course, given we are the curious type the first thing we did was try and find the tablet on the B&H website, which sadly just left us disappointed. Bottom line, with all of these recent sightings, it looks like HP will be releasing this sooner rather than later. Or at least we hope they will. Via [HPalm News] and [webOSroundup] 
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Online Music/Video  Napster has just announced the availability of its mobile music streaming service to Android and iOS devices users in the UK. Previously available only in the US, Napster’s mobile app for iOS devices and Android phones and tablets offers instant access to the full Napster catalogue of more than 15 million music tracks via your mobile devices. Napster is offering UK folks a £10 monthly subscription plan which will give them unlimited access to Napster service. The subscription also lets users combine mobile on demand streaming of music as well as saving of music offline. It also comes with music delivery features such as playlists, radio stations and recommendations. Other features of the Napster’s Unlimited Plus Mobile plan include - unlimited mobile streaming via Wi-Fi or 2.5/3G, intuitive and easy to use navigation, offline mobile access, web-based access from any computer, and automatic synchronization of playlists from PC, web, mobile and integrated audio device. The service is also available under a £5 monthly plan but this include home entertainment streaming only which allows access to the entire Napster cataloge via PCs, internet connected TVs and wireless home audio devices and not through mobile devices. The Napster mobile app is available as a free download from the Android Market and iTunes App Store. Via [Slashgear] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers While we are still waiting on the official word from HP, it looks like Walmart is going to be selling the TouchPad tablet along with several of the accessories. That being said, and without further adieu, Walmart has the 32GB TouchPad priced at $599. As for those accessories, they look to include the Touchstone Dock/Stand, the webOS Bluetooth Keyboard, an HP branded TouchPad case and an AC Charger which will be selling for $79.88, $69.88, 49.88 and $29.88 respectively. And best of all, according to a source of PreCentral, the tablets and the accessories are set to begin arriving with Walmart as early as June 1st. Granted that does not mean they will be available for sale that day, however it will be nice to know they are ready to go when HP officially announces the release date. Via [PreCentral] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile  If you’re finding yourself getting rid of unnecessary files from your mobile phone because its storage capacity could not accomodate new items anymore, you might want to consider getting a mobile backup service. There’ are several companies offering this service and one of them happens to be Wirefly. Previously, Wirefly was offering its Mobile Backup service free of charge. That gives you only up to 2GB of storage. And since you probably have more than 2GB of files on your smartphone, Wirefly has recently rolled out a new option for its service - the Mobile Back PRO. This package gives you either 10GB or unlimited storage for your music, photos, videos, and other data backed up on their cloud server. The service also let you locate your phone using GPS, lock and unlock your phone remotely, display a message on your phone’s display, sound an alarm on your phone and completely erase your phone’s memory - all via remote function. It’s a pretty good service if you’ll ask me. Wirefly’s Mobile Back Up PRO will costs you $2.99 monthly or $30 annually for one smartphone and one computer. This also comes with 10GB of storage in the cloud. If you want unlimited storage and up to five phones you can opt for the $5.99 monthly o r$60 annually option. If you want to try out the service Wirefly is also offering a 30-day trial if you use the code “WMBPRO” upon signing up. Via [Wirefly Mobile Back Up] and [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Apple, Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones  AT&T is being accused of “systematically” overcharging iPhone and 3G iPad owners for data usage. This had led to a class action lawsuit against AT&T. A story from MSNBC spoke of lawyers who spent $80,000 on an unnamed computer firm. The firm’s job was to monitor data usage from iPhones and iPads and compare the results to the bill that was eventually provided by AT&T. The results were quite staggering.
According to the investigation, AT&T basically exaggerated the amount of data that was used by 7-14%. That appears to be the average percentage, but AT&T apparently increased the proposed data usage by up to 300% on occasion. What’s worse is that every single time an iPhone or iPad transmitted data, AT&T overstated how much data was actually used. The data charges were always higher than what was used, never lower. Here’s another interesting scenario. An engineer who participated in the study purchased a new iPhone and disabled anything that could be used to transmit data. After leaving the phone idle for 10 days, AT&T recorded the phone as having 35 different data transactions. AT&T refuted these claims by saying it’s billing practices are accurate. Accurate billing is clearly important and, unfortunately, there have been some incorrect claims about our data usage billing practices. We properly bill for all data that our customers send and receive, including data activity that runs in the background on smartphones and other powerful data devices. Data usage for emailing, downloading applications, browsing the web, downloading a video or streaming music is applied to a customers’ data plan. So are real-time updates to applications, such as weather, sports scores, or stock tickers. Particularly for smartphones, tablets and other advanced mobile devices, applications are often constantly running in the background and engaged with our network.
Via [MSNBC] Read [Techland] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers It looks like those waiting for the HTC Flyer to come available here in the US will soon be in luck. According to a statement coming from the big box giant, the Flyer will come available beginning on May 22nd. That said, while we can tell you that the Flyer will bring features to include a 7 inch display, single-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, a 4,000 mAh battery, a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera—we still cannot tell you how much it will cost. With that, continue reading to check out the statement released by Best Buy… Wi-Fi HTC Flyer Tablet Launches May 22 Exclusively at Best Buy
Best Buy today announced that the Wi-Fi only version of the HTC Flyer™ tablet launches on May 22. All Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores, as well as BestBuy.com, will have the tablet exclusively at launch. The HTC Flyer is a fast, portable, light-weight tablet that integrates the immersive and highly intuitive HTC Sense™ experience and enables content including videos, music, games and more to be easily accessed and enjoyed. The addition of the HTC Flyer to our tablet lineup gives Best Buy further opportunity to help connect customers with the mobile technology that best meets their needs.
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Gaming, Console  Students are wrapping up the school year right now, but Microsoft wants to make sure it reaches into their pockets before the new school year starts up again. Starting on May 22, Microsoft will give students who purchase a new Windows 7 computer priced over $699 a free Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 in question is the 4GB model. Sorry, no Kinect bundle for students this time. This offer will remain valid until September 3, 2011.
This offer can be redeemed either online through Dell, HP or the Microsoft Store websites. If this method is used, students will have to use a valid email address with a .edu extension to qualify. Should they prefer to go the retail route instead, they’ll have to present their student ID at either Best Buy or Microsoft Store locations. For now, this deal is only valid for the United States, but France and Canada will be able to benefit from it soon enough. Via [Windows Experience Blog] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Web, Online Music/Video, Google  It looks like Google has sent another round of Music Beta invites out to those who had requested one, and this guy was lucky enough to get his. Though, as I mentioned yesterday, thanks to services like Slacker and Rdio I am still not convinced I need Google Music. That said, some of the details that we noticed in the few minutes we have had it all set up include that the service limits you to having 20,000 songs in your library (as opposed to a GB limit) and that it seems to be an all or nothing upload in terms of folders. In other words, when you set up Google Music it gives you the option to upload your entire iTunes folder. Well, as someone with music from quite a long time—I am not sure I want or need that. Tip for Google, it would be nice to give new user the option to create a custom Google Music folder within iTunes and have the upload. And the last thing we noticed, Google is even adding free songs to your music library. According to Google, you can “discover new musical genres and artists by adding free song packs to your Music library. Get full-length hits from top artists and new talent, compliments of the Music Beta team. Via [Music Beta by Google] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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