LightSquared's LTE hopes dashed by federal agency report

When it was first mooted that LightSquared's LTE technology might interfere with GPS equipment, the firm was quick to deny it. Since then, the company has tried to mitigate the issue, but the nine agencies making up the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee (PNT ExComm) all agreed that the problems are real and any attempts at mitigation are futile. This comes only days after Sprint reneged on a resource sharing deal, issuing a further blow to the company's plans for a terrestrial network. LightSquared's reaction is naturally not a happy one, claiming that the testing process is not only flawed, but that the agencies have a bias in favor of the GPS industry. By our reasoning, this only leaves the stage of depression before final acceptance of the grief-ridden situation.

Google's Matias Duarte reveals design standards for Android 4.0 at CES 2012

Looking for a little more consistent UI experience with your Android devices? Google is looking to make that happen as the folks in Mountain View has revealed that the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich OS will be the first Android software to institute design standards for developers. Android Design is a online repository for the UI guidelines and blueprints for version 4.0, which we learned would unify smartphones and tablets back at Google I/O. This set of information should make things all neat and tidy for ICS devices, keeping user interface characteristics a bit more cohesive from app to app. Here, devs will find all the basic info and elements that are native to platform in order to make the best applications possible for the OS. Mr. Duarte warns that if you choose to not follow the style guide, your software will stand out -- and not in a good way. He also quipped that these are indeed guidelines, not mandates. And that they will gain value as more folks adopt them. Yeah, we know... the competition from Cupertino has been doing this for a while now, but a bit more structure in the Android universe certainly won't draw any complaints from us.

Hydromechanical watch concept pumps away the hours for horologists

Vincent Perriard and crew have apparently gone from overseeing the Concord C1 QuantumGravity watch and its fluorescent liquid battery gauge to designing another high end watch that combines mechanical action and fluid measurement with the HYT H1. This hand-wound timepiece has a 65 hour power reserve and displays the time via pumping bellows that push bright green fluorescine past the time markers. A rendered video embedded after the break does more to explain how the watch works, but may not help you figure out its rumored $45k price tag.

All News Reviews Reviews Motorola Smart Controller now available for $99, drive your Xyboard without holding it (video) By Dante Cesa posted Jan 12th 2012 at 7:59PM Hands-On We first caught wind of Motorola's wireless pointing device, the Smart Controller, back in October when we played with a small army of Droid RAZR accessories. Whilst paired with phones, the Bluetooth remote control also moonlights as a handset that can receive and make calls, thanks to a dedicated call button on its backside. Naturally, it can also be paired with Moto's family of tablets, which is how we encountered it here, wirelessly tethered to a Xyboard 8.2 at CES. Featuring a trackpad and the same four Android nav buttons you'd encounter on a Motorola handset, tracking was generally good, although occasionally jumpy especially as we neared the end of web pages. You could chalk that up to a less than ideal demo environment, but at least we can report its build quality was top notch. Clicking on the trackpad was also nice, as your thumb's treated to a wee bit of travel before clicks actuate. It's a niche device, sure, but with full navigation and pinch to zoom, this add-on could make for a nice couch browsing experience while your tablet's tethered to your TV. If you're jonesin' for one, they're available now for a cool Benjamin from Moto or Verizon. Motorola Smart Controller hands-on READ MORE 11 Leave A Comment 7 Two Sony MirrorLink car stereos coming in Q2, along with compatible Samsung smartphones (hands-on video) By Zachary Lutz posted Jan 12th 2012 at 7:37PM Hands-On For everybody who's waited with bated breath for the widespread arrival of MirrorLink, take heed because the smartphone / car stereo integration technology is about to make a significant splash in the first half of this year. Along with the Sony XAV-601BT and the XAV-701 HD -- two MirrorLink-enabled Sony head units set for a Q2 arrival -- we've also just learned Samsung will introduce MirrorLink support for its smartphones during this time frame as well. Even Sony Ericsson's jumping into the fray, although the company wasn't able to provide any additional details regarding availability. Be sure to read on for our impressions of the new toys, along with a video of the same. Sony MirrorLink deck units hands-on READ MORE 17 Leave A Comment 8 Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Qualcomm (update: video embedded) By Brian Heater posted Jan 12th 2012 at 7:16PM Interview Join us for a discussion with Qualcomm's Rob Chandhok to talk about the chipmaker's role in the mobile and tablet space, beginning at 6:30PM ET. Update: Interview video is now embedded. READ MORE 9 Leave A Comment 7 BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 hands-on (video) By Brad Molen posted Jan 12th 2012 at 7:13PM Hands-On Porsche Design's executives use BlackBerry religiously, so when the time came for the luxury brand to consider adding smartphones to its portfolio, Research in Motion was a natural -- and perfect -- fit. Problem is, BlackBerry phones don't necessarily exude the luxury look and feel necessary to attract Porsche Design's customer base, so CEO Juergen Gessler got in touch with RIM to see if the two companies could collaborate on a phone that would take the best of BlackBerry and combine it with Porsche's premium design. Presto, the device now known as the P'9981 was born. We had the chance to behold the phone with our own eyes and hold it in our hands, so go past the break to read more about what we thought. BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 READ MORE 313 Leave A Comment 25 Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with HTC

Supercharged specs are key, but give us a slick, smooth and satisfying UI to really seal the deal. We chew the fat with Drew Bamford, HTC's director of user experience to delve into the depths of the mobile experience. Join us live on stage at 12:30PM ET.

Update: Interview video now embedded.

CTL refreshes 2go Classmate PC range with new convertible tablet, laptop models

It's been quite a while since we've seen a new Classmate PC from the folks at CTL, but the company's now back at CES with a pair of new models. Those include the 2go Classmate PC NL3 convertible tablet (above), and the 2go Classmate PC E12, which takes on a more traditional laptop form-factor. Both models pack a 10.1-inch screen (with the NL3 employing a resistive touchscreen to accommodate a stylus), and each boast some relatively similar specs across the board, including a 1.6GHz Atom N2600 processor, 1GB of RAM, and your choice of either a standard hard drive or SSD for storage -- plus the same ruggedness found on the company's earlier Classmate PCs. Look for both to be available early next month, with the NL3 starting at $499 and the E12 coming in at $349

ViewSonic unleashes ViewPad 10pi, 10e and ViewPhone 3 at CES

It wasn't enough for ViewSonic to bring just one tablet to CES 2012, the company had two ten-inchers in tow as well, though, neither the 10pi or 10e sport the lust-worthy Ice Cream Sandwich. The 10pi is a dual-booting machine with an Oak Trail z670 pushing your choice of Gingerbread or Windows 7 to a 1280 x 800 IPS panel. The 10e is a 9.1mm-thin Android 2.3 device running on a 1GHz Cortex A8. Both the 10pi and 10e will be available later this month for $849 and $299, respectively. The company also announced that the ViewPhone 3 would be coming to Latin America, as expected, later this quarter for $279

JVC's 4K camcorder begins making throat-cutting motions towards the RED Scarlet

We've been lusting after the commercial version of JVC's 4K camcorder for longer than we'd care to admit. It's powered by a Falconbird LSI chip, toting a 10 x optical zoom and a 0.5-inch 8-megapixel CMOS that'll record footage at a resolution of 3840 x 2160. The chip's USP is its ability to process the footage as it's being recorded rather than storing it for post processing later. It'll compress the video down enough, in real time, that you'll be able to store up to two hours of 4K video on sufficiently equipped SDHC card. You can also crop out images on the 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen. It'll set you back $5,000 when it arrives in March and at that price, we'll take two

PayWizard offers more ways to pay for content on Samsung smart TVs

PayWizard's "multi-screen" TV payment platform has been available for some time in the UK, but the company's now taking advantage of CES to attempt a big push into the US market. That multi-screen bit comes from the ability to manage your account and purchase content on multiple devices (including smartphones and PCs, in addition to smart TVs), and the company is also touting a new voucher system that can be used for gifting and promotions from content providers. While it remains to be seen how widely it will be used, the company has already gotten off to a decent start by announcing an application for Samsung's smart TVs, which will let folks refill their balance and manage their accounts.

All News Reviews Reviews Live from Intel's CES 2012 press event

Intel has already held one epic event filled with sweet, gadget fun at this year's Consumer Electronics Show -- but the party isn't over yet. Now it's time for the company's top dog, Paul Otellini, to take the stage and deliver his 2012 keynote. Presumably we'll be getting a healthy dose of Medfield and a heaping-helping of Ivy Bridge. So what does the future of laptops, desktops and tablets hold? And what does Intel envision for our computing future? Follow along with us to find out.

Samsung outs compact BD-ES6000 Blu-ray player, less compact ES6500, get down with UltraViolet

We've reached a point where Blu-ray players can't really add a whole lot more functionality. Size, then, is the next frontier, and Samsung's showing another player with a "slightly larger-than-a-disc" form-factor. It's the BD-ES6000, a decidedly petite player with a slot-loading mechanism and a boot time of just one second. There's also the slightly less svelte yet still "slim and stylish" BD-E6500, with dual HDMI inputs to help out with those sets that are a bit limited in the input department. More important, though, is added support for UltraViolet Disc to Digital support on all the company's 2012 lineup. Your media just got a little more portable.

Intel's first Medfield smartphone is Lenovo's K800, coming first to China Unicom in Q2 with Android 4.0

Intel's been promising a smartphone of its own for about as long as men have been walking the ground of Earth, but it looks as if its May 2011 claims of "early next year" are finally getting close to being "accurate." Here at the company's CES 2012 keynote, the Medfield-based Lenovo K800 was revealed as the first Intel-powered smartphone (boasting Android 4.0, no less), with Lenovo's home turf being pegged as getting first dibs. There's a 4.5-inch 720p display and rear camera with dual-LED flash but outside of a tip that it'll be shipping to China Unicom in Q2 of this year, everything else surrounding it remains a mystery.

First off, it's downright amazing to hear Intel finally give us a date to mark down, but it remains to be seen how many phone manufacturers will drop their existing adoration for Qualcomm and NVIDIA in order to given Intel's (historically power-sucking) mobile chips a go.

T-Mobile announces the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, available 'later this year'

Hot on the heels of the Galaxy S II's success, T-Mobile's getting another Samsung 4G device brewed up. The new smartphone, called the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, isn't set to be available until later this year, which unfortunately means we're getting very little details at the moment. According to the press release, the Blaze will have a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 42Mbps HSPA+ and a "brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen." Again, this is all we have been given at the moment, and we're confused by the fact that the display doesn't have an HD in front nor a Plus in back, as well as the phone's use of "Galaxy S" in the title. As always, it's our hope that this CES announcement will be shortly followed up with an opportunity to get some hands-on time and more details, and we'll keep you posted with any updates as they come in.

Update: At tonight's T-Mobile event, we heard a slightly narrower timeframe for launch: sometime in the first half of the year.