Google: 450,000 Android Apps now available to 300 million devices

If you hadn't noticed, it's Mobile World Congress this week and Google's showing off its enormous booth packed to the gills with smiling green Androids. Andy Rubin insouciantly added that the Android Marketplace has reached its latest milestone: there are now 450,000 apps available for the platform. Other pertinent stats are that over a billion apps are downloaded every month and that 850,000 Android devices are activated each day -- meaning that there's more than 300 million of them worldwide. Of course, that's not the real story here at MWC, it's that the company have brought along a bedazzling booth for guests to glue as many false jewels to their Galaxy Nexus back-plate as their self-respect can handle.

All News Reviews Reviews AT&T HTC One X hands-on By Terrence O'Brien posted Feb 27th 2012 at 10:26AM Hands-On HTC One X Are you salivating after seeing HTC's One X? We don't blame you, it's a stunning piece of hardware with a set of rather lust-worthy specs. But, how does the AT&T version stack up to its international cousin? We're happy to say, quite well. Yes, the quad-core Tegra 3 was given the boot in favor of a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 and an LTE radio was crammed inside, but otherwise this is pretty much the same device we saw on the floor in Barcelona. The only piece of carrier branding is an AT&T logo above the gorgeous 4.7-inch 720p display. Thankfully, the design was left largely unmolested. At least at this early stage it's also blissfully free of bloatware and carrier apps, but we'd expect that to change before launch. Sadly, none of the demo units on hand at the New York showroom had SIMs in them, so we couldn't test LTE reception, and the devices weren't logged into the Market so we couldn't pull down benchmarks or a taxing 3D game. That being said, Sense 4.0 and ICS were plenty responsive and pages rendered very quickly -- even without those two extra cores. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break for more impressions. AT&T HTC One X hands-on READ MORE 338 Leave A Comment 18 ZTE PF112 hands-on By Sean Cooper posted Feb 27th 2012 at 10:07AM Hands-On ZTE's other handset launch of note at MWC this year was the PF112 (pictured at right next to SGS 2.) First take away here was the 4.5-inch 1028 x 720 HD display which was really bright and clear -- and again we were a little shocked by the dichotomy in build quality of the sets we're seeing from ZTE. Quad-band GSM radios, triple-band HSPA+ were on hand as well as an 8 megapixel rear-facing cam, all the wireless connectivity one could ask for and even an FM radio thrown in for good measure. Housing quality is fine, bezel size about on par with its neighbor in the pic above and fit and finish also looking sharp. Follow the break for some more pictures of this Android 4.0 device. ZTE PF112 hands-on READ MORE 65 Leave A Comment 9 Meego 1.2 arrives for Nokia N9 users today By Daniel Cooper posted Feb 27th 2012 at 9:56AM Nokia N9 users, if you've yet to activate your beloved device today, then do so post-haste. It looks like our army of faithful tipsters found PR 1.2 ready to roll this morning. The 284MB ... Read the full post on mobile.engadget.com 122 Leave A Comment 20 Sonnetar 25mm f/1.1 lens coming with Micro Four Thirds mount By Sharif Sakr posted Feb 27th 2012 at 9:51AM Just what the optician ordered: a prototype Micro Four Thirds 25mm lens that will put just 1.1 f-stops between you and a beautiful photograph. It's the work of specialist fast-glass maker Sadoyasu Miyazaki, who manufactures under the Sonnetar brand and is well know for his hand-assembled primes. There's no word on price or release date yet but the same lens with a Pentax Q mount can be had on eBay right now for $650 including shipping, so this MFT lens should be in the same range. Don some shades and then click the KTF Turbo link below for sample images (and look for "MS Optical R&D" in the top-right.) 43Rumors sourceKFT Turbo (Japanese) 38 Leave A Comment 10 AT&T announces global coverage via a single SIM at MWC, makes dual-wielding a thing of the past By Billy Steele posted Feb 27th 2012 at 9:28AM Tired of switching out those SIM cards when you travel abroad? AT&T is about to relieve that burden. At MWC, the company has announced a new platform that offers global internet, WiFi, satellite and Ma Bell network coverage via a single SIM. In addition to the hardware, the new tech offers worldwide diagnostic, monitoring and alert / response features for management purposes from AT&T Control Center -- backed by Jasper Wireless. Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Segments notes "Lessons learned by market leading manufacturers suggest that a single carrier supplier with a single SIM solution is often preferred over working directly with multiple regional wireless carriers." Coverage for globetrotters will be provided in more than 200 countries via hundreds of carriers to keep you connected -- with a few less components in tow. If you're looking for a few more details, hit the full PR below to read on. READ MORE sourceAT&T 90 Leave A Comment 24 Apple scores temporary ruling in Motorola battle, can keep selling iPads, iPhones in Germany By Brian Heater posted Feb 27th 2012 at 9:05AM Apple today won a victory in Germany in its on-going legal dispute with Motorola Mobility. An appeals court in that country ruled that Cupertino can continue to offer its wares in its online store while it appeals a ruling that temporarily barred their sale. According to the court, the continuation of such a ban on iPads and iPhones would affect Motorola's abilities to maintain its "duties under antitrust rules." The temporary ruling is the latest in an on-going legal tug of war between the two handset makers in that country. sourceBusiness Week 209 Leave A Comment 10 web coverage Foss Patents, (2) Nokia 808 PureView first sample shots -- feast your eyes (update: GigaPan them!) By Myriam Joire posted Feb 27th 2012 at 9:05AM Exclusive Nokia 808 PureView first sample shots -- feast your eyes This is it. Here's an exclusive first look at some sample shots taken with Nokia's freshly minted 808 PureView imaging powerhouse -- and wow, just wow! The collection contains photos taken at different resolutions in various conditions that show exactly what the 41-megapixel camera is capable of. Feast your eyes in our gallery below -- we'll have a ZIP file with the original pictures for you to download shortly. Also, stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Damian Dinning, program manager for imaging at Nokia. Update: Our very own Andy Yang of Engadget Chinese slapped a few of these shots on GigaPan for your zooming pleasure -- check it out after the break. You can also grab the originals (a 31.8MB download) from Nokia Conversations. Nokia 808 PureView first sample shots READ MORE 837 Leave A Comment 119 Xperia U, HTC One X and One S coming to Orange UK

Orange, the only cellular network that's also one of your five-a-day has announced that it'll be releasing Sony's Xperia U, HTC One X and One S to smartphone demanding Britons in the second quarter of the year. Depending on your point of view, it's either fantastic or terrible that the network bagged the white edition of Sony's handset as an exclusive, but it's going to tempt some of you to the citrus-side of the force. There's no word on pricing, but we'd expect them to cost something we've heard called "money." While you wait for them to arrive, why not decide on which handset you'd rather purchase by reading our splendid hands-ons with each of the handsets? Xperia U / One X / One S.

ADATA reveals three new SandForce SSDs for the high, mid and low end

ADATA makes multiple memory solutions, including super fast USB sticks, and now the company has released a trio of new SSDs, with a model for every type of consumer. There's the XPG SX900 built for enthusiasts that uses a SATA III 6Gbps connection and SandForce SF-2281 controller to deliver 550MB/s reads and 530MB/s writes in up to a 512GB drive. The Premier Pro SP900 packs similar specs to deliver 550MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes in up to a 256GB package, but at lower price point than its performance sibling. Rounding things out is the Premier SP800, a budget entry in 32 and 64GB sizes that uses a SATA II 3Gbps interface, plus an SF-1222 controller to deliver 280MB/s and 260MB/s sequential speeds. As usual, ADATA's not telling how much the new SSDs will set you back

Aakash put on notice as BSNL and Pantel pair up to produce T-Pad

The last thing that the Aakash project needed was a more handsome, similarly priced commercial rival swooping in and stealing all of its thunder. Sadly that's what's happened: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), itself currently under investigation for corruption allegations, has announced a similarly low priced tablet in partnership with Pantel International. The T-Pad IS701R costs Rs 3,250 ($66) compared to the Aakash's Rs 2,999 ($60) but this device has a faster 1GHz processor and runs Gingerbread on a 7-inch 800 x 600 resistive display. However it's not all sunshine and roses, unlike the Government-sponsored slate, there is no GPRS modem in this edition. If you want freedom from WiFi, it'll cost you Rs 10,999 (or $223). So how do the two tablets stack up? Head on past the break and we'll show you in a little more detail.

Sony announces quartet of Cyber-shot cams, boasts of slim profiles and tough skin

The Cyber-shot family just keeps growing and growing, with its latest litter focused on keeping slim and staying active. The quartet's most rugged machine, the $330 16.2 megapixel DSC-TX20, promises to be tough as nails by tolerating water up to 16 feet under, bouncing back from five foot falls and braving freezing tundras as cold as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The $350 DSC-TX66, on the other hand, forgoes the armor in favor of a 18.2 megapixel sensor, a 3.3-inch "Xtra Fine" OLED touch screen and 1920 x 1080 video recording. The outfits 18.2 MP DSC-WX150 and 16.1 MP DSC-W690 claim the titles of "world's thinnest 10x optical zoom cameras," (excluding the lens) according to Sony, and are priced at $250 and $180, respectively. Read on for Sony's official press release and all of the rough, tough and svelte details, as well as Sony's own hands-on look at the new Cyber-shot lineup.

Toyota and Samsung turn your smartphone into a second display for your ride

Toyota and Samsung are pairing up to get the latter's smartphones to work perfectly with the former's vehicles. The duo will launch Samsung Mobile Car Application to sync your Android device to the in-vehicle-infotainment (IVI) systems of modern cars. You'll be able to use voice control and improve the accuracy of your GPS by hooking it up to mobile internet. At the minute it's just an announcement, we won't see any products entering the market until the second quarter of the year. They just wanted to tease, those lovable scamps.

CNBC: Quad-core iPad 3 with LTE to be unveiled in New York

The above tweet from CNBC says it all, really. Apparently sources close to the news network have revealed that the iPad 3 will be unveiled in New York rather than the traditional West Coast unveiling of previous products. It's interesting to note that the recent Mountain Lion briefings and Education event were both based in the Big Apple, lending some weight to the claim. Although company expert Jim Dalrymple has already rebutted the broadcaster's claim about the location. The rest? Well, it certainly tallies with the most recent crop of rumors, but when it's Apple-silly season we won't believe anything until we see it.

4G' Sony Tablet P coming to AT&T on March 4th for $400

Sony's odd, dual-screened, folding Tablet P is finally getting a "4G" version here the US, courtesy of AT&T. In this case, those 4G speeds are being "delivered" by an HSPA+ radio, a fact that carrier managed to bury in the PR. The Honeycomb device will be bringing its unique set of 5.5-inch screens to Ma Bell starting March 4th for the rather steep price of $400 with a two year contract. If you don't want to sign your soul over you can pick one up unsubsidized for $550, which is still quite a bit less than the cost of importing one of its £500 UK siblings.

Join us for Microsoft's Windows 8 press conference tomorrow at 9:30am EST!

If you're Microsoft and in the process of overhauling Windows so that it's equally at home on PCs and tablets, it would make sense to unveil a semi-final version at the world's premier wireless show. That's exactly what's going to happen tomorrow, when the company's executive team takes the stage here in Barcelona to show off all the changes it's made to Win8 since we got hands-on with the Developer Preview five months ago. Though we still won't know tomorrow what the final version will look like, we'll have a much firmer idea, as this will be the first version available to the general Windows-using populace. So what does Redmond have up its sleeve? Will the Windows Store open for business? A first look at some native touch-friendly apps? And what's to become of the Start button? Bookmark this page and come back tomorrow at 9:30am EST (3:30pm local time), when we'll be firing off up-to-the-minute updates. See you then!

what is the lunar eclipse

Introduction

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer.

Totality solar eclipse
The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon's shadow crosses the Earth's surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the shadow of Earth. However, it can also refer to such events beyond the Earth-Moon system: for example, a planet moving into the shadow cast by one of its moons, a moon passing into the shadow cast by its host planet, or a moon passing into the shadow of another moon. A binary star system can also produce eclipses if the plane of their orbit intersects the position of the observer.



Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Since this occurs only when the Moon is on the far side of the Earth from the Sun, lunar eclipses only occur when there is a full moon. Unlike a solar eclipse, an eclipse of the Moon can be observed from nearly an entire hemisphere. For this reason it is much more common to observe a lunar eclipse from a given location. A lunar eclipse also lasts longer, taking several hours to complete, with totality itself usually averaging anywhere from about 30 minutes to over an hour.

The progression of a lunar eclipse.
There are three types of lunar eclipses: penumbral, when the Moon crosses only the Earth's penumbra; partial, when the Moon crosses partially into the Earth's umbra; and total, when the Moon circles entirely within the Earth's umbra. Total lunar eclipses pass through all three phases. Even during a total lunar eclipse, however, the Moon is not completely dark. Sunlight refracted through the Earth's atmosphere intersects the umbra and provides a faint illumination. Much as in a sunset, the atmosphere tends to scatter light with shorter wavelengths, so the illumination of the Moon by refracted light has a red hue, thus the phrase 'Blood Moon' is often found in descriptions of such lunar events as far back as eclipses are recorded.

Doodle Defense game uses Kinect to turn white boards into displays, dry-erase markers into weapons

Tower defense games have been done in damn near every way possible: on consoles, mobile apps, and online flash-based games. However, there's a new Kickstarter project, called Doodle Defense, that's putting a new spin on that simple gaming idea using some open source algorithms, a whiteboard, computer, Kinect and a projector. The game works by projecting the battlefield and bad guys on the whiteboard, while users can draw in obstacles using a black marker and towers of varied attack abilities in red, green, and blue. Kinect tracks where your drawings are onscreen, and reroutes the invaders accordingly, while also keeping track of how much ink you have left to use. Check out the video after the break to see the game in action

Auraslate opens Android tablets up to developers, welcomes mischief

HTC aside, not every manufacturer is willing, ready and committed to opening up its device portfolio to the idle hands of hackers. Which is why Auraslate, a recently launched start-up, is stepping in to fill that void, instituting a sea change in how devs translate their unsanctioned software concepts into actual end user products. To do this, the humble outfit's offering up 7- and 10-inch Android tablets that range in price from $139 to $270 and come loaded up with an ARM Cortex A9 CPU, 4GB storage and a Gorilla Glass-coated capacitive touchscreen. Prospective haxxors can choose between two configurations available on the site: an Advance Development Kit which includes a source code disk and a cheaper Novice option. For the money, you'll get that aforementioned hardware, peripherals (usb plug, power adapter), as well as access to Aura's forums and ROM refreshes, although ICS is limited to its top shelf Lifepad 1026. So if you're tired of damning the Man with every OEM-issued, security-patching update and just want to be left to your coding best, it might be wise to bask in this company's glow.