As 2009 winds down and we try to come up with new and clever ways of referring to the early years of this century, there’s really only one thing left to do: declare our ten favorite gadgets of the aughts. It’s arguable that if this wasn’t the decade of gadgets, it was certainly a decade shaped by gadgets — one which saw the birth of a new kind of connectedness. In just ten years time, gadgets have touched almost every aspect of our daily lives, and personal technology has come into its own in a way never before seen. It’s a decade that’s been marked the ubiquity of the internet, the downfall of the desktop, and the series finale of Friends, but we’ve boiled it down to the ten devices we’ve loved the most and worked the hardest over the past ten years. We even had some of our friends in the tech community chime in with their picks on what they thought was the gadget or tech of the decade — so join us for a look back at the best (gadget) years ever!

Continue reading Ten gadgets that defined the decade

Ten gadgets that defined the decade originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Engadget staff

And what do we have here? HTC’s Russian contingent has been rather forthcoming with its Windows Mobile 7 plans this morning, which will please HD2 owners but disappoint many others. The good news is that HTC’s flagship WinMo handset is assured of getting Microsoft’s finest when it comes out, but the bad news is that the rest of the line will remain stuck at version 6.5 or below. Here’s the tweet in the Queen’s own tongue:

For Diamond 2 firmware is not planned. Of the existing communicators on the market, only the HD2 firmware to get WM7.

Keep in mind it’s still possible, though not altogether probable, that this statement refers only to the Russian market. In either case, if you were holding out hope for your Touch Pro 2 or Snap to keep updating all the way to 7, it seems the odds are now officially stacked against you.

HTC Russia says HD2 will get Windows Mobile 7 upgrade, but other ‘communicators’ won’t originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Vladislav Savov

Having only recently marked its return to the handheld computing space with the iPAQ Glisten, HP seems intent on forging ahead with more hardware in the coming year. The above trademark applications — filed in September and October 2009 — mark out some very broad categories, but we can narrow them down a little with the help of some context. Given all the industry excitement over tablet devices, the Zeen could well be the name of a forthcoming slate-shaped machine and accompanying software, while Airlife seems to be planted firmly in the smartphone arena. The moniker suggests a software ecosystem rather than actual hardware, but that would make little sense with just one handset out there; if we were the betting type (and believe us, we aren’t), we’d probably expect to see more mobiles coming from the computing giant in order to take advantage. Of course, companies don’t always follow through on trademark applications, but it sure seems as if HP is casting a wary eye over the burgeoning handheld market (and / or planning to not get left behind in the months ahead).

HP files for ‘Zeen’ and ‘Airlife’ trademarks for handheld devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Vladislav Savov

Thought that the low-cost messaging phone craze was cooling off? Think again, because this Pantech that just hit the FCC looks like something we’ll probably see at retail in the next few months. The so-called P9020 (we’re sure it’ll get a much snazzier name by the time you can buy it) has a 2 megapixel camera behind a full touchscreen and a full QWERTY slide, perfect for those rugrats in desperate need of a 100-plus wpm rating on the text circuit. This sucker’s got 850 / 1900MHz WCDMA on board, ripe for use on AT&T; the carrier’s got a history of collaborating with Pantech, anyhow, and there are mentions of AT&T services in the user’s manual filed with the FCC documentation — so yeah, we pretty much know where this thing’s going. With the Quickfire’s reputation sullied since it took on a far-too-literal name, this seems like a fitting successor, does it not?

Pantech P9020 packs touch, QWERTY, cute into one package originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Should you be the sort of person who doesn’t mind fiddling around with alpha level software, you’ll definitely want to know about the BlueMaemo Bluetooth emulator. Available via the Extras-Devel repository on your N900, this app allows the device to mimic other Bluetooth gadgets, such as keyboards, mice, and yes indeedy, gaming controllers. Its developer Valério Domingos humbly points out that the purpose of connecting up to a PS3 is purely for menu navigation and easier text input, though we’ve no doubt a few hardcore Nokia loyalists will try using this in an action game to prove the N900′s superiority. You may follow Valério and his ongoing refinement of the app in the Maemo.org link below, or you can jump past the break to see the full controller layout and an instructional video on how to hook things up — it’s in Italian, but you should be able to grasp what’s going on senza problemi.

[Thanks, shellshock]

Continue reading N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator

N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Vladislav Savov

Sure, OnLive has already done live demos of its “cloud gaming” service, but it never hurts to get another comprehensive 48-minute video on the subject. In a presentation at Columbia University, CEO Steve Perlman goes over the nitty gritty of how game streaming works, the OnLive user interface (11:53), an inevitable Crysis Wars demo (16:35), Brag Clips (17:49), and of course the iPhone app (19:31). Though cellphone integration is still limited to primarily spectating and social networking functions, PCs and Macs can get gaming via a 1MB browser plugin, or you can grab the microconsole streaming box for your TV, which Steve suggests might be given away for free with OnLive subscriptions. If you have any more unaswered questions, check out the audience Q&A at 33:14, and the full vid awaits after the break.

Continue reading OnLive shows off UI and iPhone use in marathon tech demo (video)

OnLive shows off UI and iPhone use in marathon tech demo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Vladislav Savov

The hints were already pretty strong on this one, but now Microsoft has come right out and said it, albeit in a job posting — the Xbox Live gaming platform is extending beyond the console and specifically onto WinMo phones. Seeking a Principal Program Manager who would be responsible for bringing “Xbox Live enabled games to Windows Mobile,” Redmond is particularly interested in “avatar integration, social interaction, and multi-screen experiences.” That leaves an awful lot of room for imagination as to how the two modes of gaming will complement each other, but at least we now (sort of) know that it’s going to happen.

[Thanks, Jessy]

Windows Mobile and Xbox Live coming together, according to Microsoft job ad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Vladislav Savov

Good news, everyone! Our very own iPhone / iPod touch app is finally really available in Apple’s much talked about and critically acclaimed App Store! That’s right, all the excitement and info you’ve come to know and love from Engadget is now bottled in an easy to digest and delicious iPhone form. The application — easily downloadable from your device or iTunes — features a whole bunch of useful features such as offline viewing, built in streaming for The Engadget Show, in-app tipping (you know, for when you see the next iPhone), and all kinds of customization options. You can download the app right here, or click on the image above.

Even better than this? We’ve got more apps on the way! Before CES (fingers crossed), you should see both a BlackBerry and webOS version of the Engadget application, and plans for the Android version are already in motion.

Lastly, a big, big, big thanks to the team at AOL that actually made this thing a reality: Sun Sachs, Andy Averbuch, Hareesh P, Anibal Rosado, Rajesh Kumar, Rich Foster, Claudeland Louis, Mike Wolstat, Eric Wedge, Vikas B R, Asha Indira and Bob Gurwin. You guys rule.

Engadget for iPhone / iPod touch: available now! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky