Top Stories Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near 5 hours ago Kindle Fire firmware update 6.2.2 brings full-screen browsing 18 hours ago LightSquared says obsolete devices used in 'rigged' testing of its LTE network 20 hours ago Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA 1 day ago Alienware announces X51 small form factor gaming PC, starting at $699 1 day ago All News Reviews Reviews Live from Apple's education event! By Tim Stevens posted Jan 19th 2012 at 9:50AM Live Blog Apple Ready to get smart in the Big Apple? We are, and so is Apple. Since announcing today's event we've heard talk of a focus on digital books and personal publishing tools. Basically, Apple's looking to do to the textbook publishing market what it did to the music industry with iTunes. Is today a day that will change history for trees worldwide? Join us as we find out. We'll be starting at the time below. Thursday, January 19, 2012 8:30:00 PM 0 Leave A Comment - Hack breaks Hulu Plus free from supported device chains, embraces Androids of every shape and color By Joseph Volpe posted Jan 19th 2012 at 9:42AM It's not TV, it's Hulu Plus and it's coming to the Android device of your choosing -- somewhat, unofficially. While the main ad-supported, streaming video site may have failed to seek ... Read the full post on mobile.engadget.com 1 Leave A Comment - Shogun Bros. Ballista MK-1 Gaming Mouse totes new sniping system, looks like it'll hit the spot By Mat Smith posted Jan 19th 2012 at 9:05AM The latest gaming mouse from Shogun Bros. doesn't double as a gamepad, but it does carry a heady list of extra features for sharpshooting gamers. These include independent X and Y DPi settings to stabilize targeting, thumb selector for speed shooting, 5,700 DPI accuracy and 11,570 frames per second movement tracking -- sidestepping those pesky jumps and stutters when moving that cursor in the midst of a melee. Indicators include X, Y and refresh rate, while you'll find 11 extra macro keys across the rubberized surface. There are 20 customized DPI settings for any game genre you'd care to mention -- oh and a desktop setting, yawn. Expect to shoot the wings off a CGI fly some time in Q2 2012. READ MORE 17 Leave A Comment 3 Genuis DX-ECO wireless mouse has no battery, charges in three minutes anyway By Sean Buckley posted Jan 19th 2012 at 8:46AM Hip on recharging your wireless rodent every single day? How about if it only takes three minutes? A single day's juice per charge might be unacceptable for most peripherals, but we're ready to make an exception for Genuis' DX-ECO wireless mouse. This adjustable 800 / 1600 DPI clicker swaps out a recharge battery for a "gold," or electric double-layer capacitor -- you may know it as a super, or ultracapacitor. A step towards a battery-free existence not enough for you? Fine, bask in the knowledge that the DX-ECO also features a carpet, marble and sofa friendly "BlueEye" sensor. Read on for the official PR. Us? We're off to fantasize about battery free electric vehicles. READ MORE The Verge 25 Leave A Comment 4 Virgin Mobile targets March 23rd to throttle data, take candy from children By Zachary Lutz posted Jan 19th 2012 at 8:23AM It's been a long time coming, but after much backpedaling, Virgin Mobile is throwing down the gauntlet -- it'll begin throttling data speeds come March 23rd. Like expected, each month that ... Read the full post on mobile.engadget.com 33 Leave A Comment 4 Prada Phone by LG 3.0 arriving on T-Mobile UK next month By Mat Smith posted Jan 19th 2012 at 8:01AM Brits dripping in Prada won't have to wait much longer to get their smartphone fix. The awkwardly-named Prada Phone by LG 3.0 is looking to set sail from its native Korea -- where it's already launched -- and will be available on T-Mobile, half of the Everything Everywhere duo, some time in February. Sidling up to the UK carrier's coming soon page, the salient selling points appear to be that Prada styling and LG's 4.3-inch NOVA plus display. That subtle monochromatic skinning of the Gingerbread OS won't hurt its chances either. No word on a precise launch date or price, but we expect to see a review model pretty soon -- once we're dressed well enough to be seen with it. Unwired View sourceT-Mobile UK 32 Leave A Comment 1 TSMC profits down 22.5 percent, still able to afford a new yacht By Daniel Cooper posted Jan 19th 2012 at 7:29AM It's not been a great year for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company: the chip foundry behind Qualcomm and NVIDIA's silicon (amongst others) saw profits slump by 22.5 percent in the last quarter of 2011. Like everything in this world, however, trouble is relative: the business still made a net profit of just over a billion US dollars. CEO Morris Chang pointed a wealthy digit toward customers clearing out old inventory and said that new orders for phone and tablet CPUs would arrive shortly -- thanks to a 28-nanometer factory that opened its doors around the same time. He then casually mentioned that a 20-nanometer facility will open its doors towards the end of this year, followed by a 14-nanometer block by 2014. We've got the report on the financials -- for those with a currency convertor and some spare time to hand -- after the break. READ MORE PC World sourceTSMC 12 Leave A Comment 2 Sing hello to the iRig PRE, turns iOS devices into on-the-fly mic preamps By Edgar Alvarez posted Jan 19th 2012 at 6:45AM IK Multimedia's never fallen short of giving you some of the better tools for all your on-the-go music-making utilizing your beloved iOS device as the main rig. Now, the peripheral connoisseur's taking the wraps off its iRig PRE, which aims to help you digitally process those glorious vocal chords by allowing you to plug in any XLR mic into it without the need for other adapters or cables. Furthermore, the dongle features a 3.5mm jack for audio monitoring, gain control and can squeeze a runtime of up to 40 hours (dynamic microphones) or 15 hours (phantom powered condenser mics) from a standard 9V battery. The PRE amp will also come included with two of iRig's usual suspect apps (iRig Recorder and VocaLive) to help you get started in your quest to be the next idol. We know you can't wait to get your singing on, but you'll have to wait until "early Q2" to do so, for a moderate price of $39.99 -- perhaps the iRig Mic can get you through the days in the meantime. READ MORE 14 Leave A Comment 11 ZTE Tania arrives in the UK: a budget phone for budget buyers By Daniel Cooper posted Jan 19th 2012 at 5:40AM ZTE's showing off its new global ambitions, the OEM-smartphone maker brought a party bus to London and asked Professor Green (everyone's favorite nasally-challenged Grime MC) to spread the ... Read the full post on mobile.engadget.com 76 Leave A Comment 2 Microsoft spoiling Canadians, Germans as Xbox Live gets more local stations By Daniel Cooper posted Jan 19th 2012 at 4:42AM Remember when Microsoft couldn't stop dropping names of companies it was partnering up with to bring media to your Xbox 360? Well, days after CES drew to its natural conclusion, Redmond's ... Read the full post on hd.engadget.com 29 Leave A Comment 6 Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near By Daniel Cooper posted Jan 19th 2012 at 3:58AM Sony Ericsson's tearful breakup continues with more woe as as the venture had to eat a pre-tax loss of €247 million (roughly $317 million). Bosses cited "unfavorable macro-economic conditions" and the Thai flooding as the reasons for the loss. Ericsson probably won't mind having such an unfavorable penultimate quarter with the company, given that it's set to receive €1.05 billion (around $1.9 billion) when Sony buys out its share of the joint telecoms business within the next month. READ MORE 80 Leave A Comment 8 GM teams with Future Lab on interactive Windows of Opportunity, MI:4 tech lives on By Billy Steele posted Jan 19th 2012 at 3:02AM Wishing your vehicle had a better-integrated entertainment system than the iPad you're forced to futz with in the backseat? If GM has its way, you may be in luck. The auto manufacturer has joined forces with the Future Lab at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel to transform boring rear windows into interactive touchscreens. Since there are no plans to work the tech into production models right now, R&D gave the students a blank... er, clear canvas on which to create solutions. The results include apps that allow an animated character to respond to scenery outside the window and finger drawing on window steam. Two other applications enable a look into users' windows worldwide and a music stream-and-share with your mates on the road. "Traditionally, the use of interactive displays in cars has been limited to the driver and front passenger, but we see an opportunity to provide a technology interface designed specifically for rear seat passengers," said Tom Seder, GM R&D lab group manager. Check out the apps in action or the particulars in the PR after the break. GM Windows of Opportunity applications READ MORE sourceGM 31 Leave A Comment 26 Transformer Prime quietly gets GPS update, root killer By Sean Buckley posted Jan 19th 2012 at 1:52AM If you're not quite ready to take up ASUS on its refund offer (or if you simply don't live in the UK), you're probably holding out for additional updates to dry your tears. Fortunately, Asus hasn't forgotten about you and your ilk. Early this morning, the Transformer Prime quietly received an OTA update that not only unroots the tablet, but also kicks the slab's GPS version up to 6.9.13. The folks on the XDA developers forums have restored their roots easily enough, and seem to be reaping the benefits of updated GPS drivers, as well. Engadget's own tests lean on the positive side -- lounging indoors, in a spot where GPS reception was previously all-dark, we snagged sight of 12 satellites on a freshly rebooted Prime with WiFi disabled. Although the response seems generally positive on the XDA developers forums, not everybody is seeing our success. Either way, this update certainly didn't make things worse; a step in the right direction to be sure. sourcexda-developers 117 Leave A Comment 12 Kodak files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, expects to complete restructuring by 2013 By Richard Lawler posted Jan 19th 2012 at 12:45AM Breaking News Apparently suing Samsung (again) wasn't the only pressing business for Kodak today, as it just announced it has -- as expected -- filed for Chapter 11 business reorganization in New York. You can read the details in the press release after the break or at the Kodak Transforms website, where Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez is quoted saying he hopes Kodak will "emerge a lean, world-class, digital imaging and materials science company". The company has obtained $950 million debtor-in-possession financing, which it claims will provide the liquidity needed to continue operations during the restructuring. As far as its recent parade of lawsuits against Samsung, Apple and HTC, Perez comments on "monetizing non-core IP assets" so we'd assume its lawyers will stay busy going forward. READ MORE sourceKodak Transforms 125 Leave A Comment 34 Behringer outs three iPad-housing USB mixers By James Trew posted Jan 18th 2012 at 11:43PM When it's not bringing the crazy that is iNuke, Behringer turns out some pretty serious audio gear. The latest offering? Three new mixers that throw an iPad into the EQuation. A dedicated app serves as an interface, while the iPad provides the brains and the power source. They're no dumb terminals though, as you'll also find a dedicated audio interface, mic pre-amps and a new dual-engine KLARK-TEKNIK FX processor, complete with 32 configurable "studio grade" presets (reverb, chorus, flange and so on). The trio comes in three sizes: 16 channels for the iX1642, 24 on the iX2442, and 32 for the big ole iX3242. Behringer's keeping the volume down on pricing and availability right now, but they'll be on display at NAMM this week if you want to have a fiddle. Not going? Then fade-in the press release after the break for more info. READ MORE Music Radar 85 Leave A Comment 28 China wants microbloggers to register with the government, hand over real identity By Terrence O'Brien posted Jan 18th 2012 at 10:56PM Thought that Facebook's and Google+'s requirements that you use your real name were draconian? Just be thankful you're not a weibo addict in China. The government is planning to expand a ... Read the full post on alt.engadget.com 107 Leave A Comment 18 iPads replaced with clay, sold to unsuspecting Canadians By James Trew posted Jan 18th 2012 at 9:47PM That fuzzy sensation we get when unboxing a new toy gadget is the fuel that keeps us going at Engadget. A feeling a few unlucky Canadian's were deprived of, after buying what they believed to be an iPad 2 actually turned out to be a slab of clay. In a calculated scam, crooks purchased real iPads, replaced them with terra-cotta tablets, then returned them to the store in re-sealed boxes. The fakes then found their way back on to the shelves, and into customer's baskets. It was Mark Sandhu who first reported the incident after gifting his wife something a little too slate-like on Christmas Eve. Initially Future Shop wouldn't refund Sandhu, possibly believing him to be the scammer; it was only after taking the story to CTV, and up to ten other cases coming to light -- including some from Best Buy -- that the retailer took the claim seriously. Future Shop has since issued a refund, and given Mark a real iPad 2 for his troubles. Next time, he might want to try an official retailer -- or not. TekGoblin sourceCTV 405 Leave A Comment 73 Facebook launches Timeline Apps platform, socialites rejoice By Andrew Munchbach posted Jan 18th 2012 at 8:46PM Facebook, along with its launch partners, has finally let loose its Timeline Apps platform, setting Open Graph apps free to roam the web. Announced at the company's f8 conference in September, Timeline Apps allow third-parties to build Facebook applications that facilitate information sharing amongst users and their social network. While FB initially focused on the music and movie genre, Zuckerberg & Co. seem to have keyed-in on a variety of markets for today's launch, from travel (TripAdvisor) to cuisine (Foodspotting), and even ticketing companies like ScoreBig, Eventbrite, StubHub, TicketFly and Ticketmaster. So now everyone will know immediately when you scored those backstage passes to Ricky Martin because you're living la vida loca with Timeline. Get the full story from Facebook at the source and PR from ScoreBig awaits after the break. READ MORE sourceFacebook 46 Leave A Comment 19 web coverage Kobo, Ticketfly SnapStream TV monitoring now lets OS X users keep tabs on amusing video-blunders By Daniel Cooper posted Jan 18th 2012 at 8:38PM The Daily Show and Colbert Report famously rely upon SnapStream's high-power Windows DVR software to monitor the insanity at the fringes of America's cable spectrum. The media-monitoring software is also used by news services, educators and shadowy government agencies to keep tabs on the subjects discussed on TV. The latest edition (version five) opens the platform up to OS X users, enabling them to run it in Firefox without messy virtualization. The OS X web player comes with a plugin to watch MPEG-2 streams that'll happily sit on top of Snow Leopard or Lion and will even let you set up customized alerts for whenever inappropriate euphemisms emerge from Oprah's mouth. GigaOm sourceSnapstream 12 Leave A Comment 7 RIM and Turkcell partner to bring NFC payments to Bold 9900, Turkish pazars By Andrew Munchbach posted Jan 18th 2012 at 7:38PM Turkcell subscribers looking to make a purchase from their favorite Istanbul bazaar now have one extra payment option -- if they're a BlackBerry Bold owners, that is. Research In Motion and ... Read the full post on mobile.engadget.com 33 Leave A Comment 12 Adlink launches fanless quad-core Intel Core i7 computers, keeps its cool with mobile connectivity By Mat Smith posted Jan 18th 2012 at 6:20PM Adlink's announced a new series of quad-core computers that laugh in the face of overheating. Apparently forgoing the need for fan installation, its Matrix MXE-5300 line-up covers Intel Core i7, i5, and i3 processor setups and are tweaked especially for wireless optimization with 3G, WiFi, Buetooth and GPS. The MXE-5300 is peppered with six USB ports, four serial ports, ethernet, two Mini-PCIe and a single USIM slot. The embedded PCs are geared towards in-vehicle multimedia systems and the ever-so-slightly less interesting likes of factory automation. Well, something has to tell those robots what to do. READ MORE sourceAdlink 90 Leave A Comment 21 AT&T to adjust data plans January 22nd, offers more gigs for more money By Brad Molen posted Jan 18th 2012 at 5:32PM Good news and bad news here, folks: the good news is that AT&T will begin offering new data plans with a higher monthly allotment. The bad news is that, once again, it's going to cost you more. The plans, which will offer 300MB of data for $20, 3GB for $30 and 5GB (including mobile hotspot access) for $50, will take effect beginning this Sunday. Are you still on one of the older plans? Fortunately, you're still grandfathered in and won't have to change unless you absolutely want to. But remember that once you move to the new data rate, there's no going back; the only legacy plan sticking around is AT&T's 250MB tablet feature for $15. The change in plans appears to be priced the same as Verizon, though the two higher rate plans on AT&T have an advantage in that it hooks you up with an extra gigabyte of data capacity. The question is, will it be worth paying an additional $5 per month for that extra gig? Oh, and we're still waiting on that shared data plan in the meantime, Ralph. READ MORE 552 Leave A Comment 19 web coverage AT&T Kodak says smile Samsung, you're being sued for infringing five digital imaging patents

Kodak's been in a bit of a financial bind lately, and has been exploring various options to maximize profitability and get its balance sheet back in the black. After recently filing actions against Apple and HTC in the International Trade Commission, Kodak's legal team now has Samsung in its sights. According to a press release, Kodak has filed a federal suit in the Western District of New York alleging that several Sammy slates are infringing five of Kodak's digital imaging patents. The patents in question claim various image capture and transmission technologies, from taking and sending images via email to transferring digital pictures over a cellular network. We haven't gotten a peek at the complaint just yet to see which devices allegedly run afoul of Kodak's IP