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Gadget and Techno Updates
Best Buy already testing TiVo-equipped televisions?
Mar 15th
Nearly a year after Best Buy first announced plans to build Insignia televisions equipped with TiVo software, the retailer may finally be testing upcoming products. A post on the unofficial TiVo Community Forum suggests that a new TiVo device, without DVR storage capabilities, has surfaced in access logs for a third-party game that works with networked TiVo systems.
The latest detail does not shed any additional light on specific features of the TVs, though the initial reports indicated the Insignia offerings will utilize TiVo’s non-DVR software and interface. Users will be able to access a variety of connected services that More >
Nook Color gets hacked GPS through TetherGPS app
Mar 14th
ComptonSoft has launched the TetherGPS app ($ 3, Android Market) which will allow users to get GPS data on their Android-powered Nook Color e-book readers. As the name suggests, the device needs to be tethered to a compatible and GPS-equipped Android device such as the HTC Evo 4G through the built-in tether function. Google Maps and Google Navigation on the Nook Color will then piggyback on the GPS data from the phone.
Another option is to connect the Evo and Nook Color to the same network. Either way, the TetherGPS then needs to be run, with the server version on More >
iPad 2′s Smart Cover torn down, found using 31 magnets
Mar 14th
A unique teardown by iFixit of the iPad 2′s Smart Cover and its match-up in the iPad has revealed a more elaborate system than many first thought. The two use a total of 31 magnets, 21 in the cover and 10 in the iPad itself, and are in a more layout than some might initially suspect. Only one round magnet in the cover, and a corresponding sensor, turns the display on or off; the rest are used to keep the iPad in place and help keep the cover folded up when used as a stand.
The four magnets on the More >
iPad 2 lines reach hundreds, include SXSW line [photos]
Mar 14th
With less than two hours to go, lineups for the iPad 2 have shown a return to form after the near-absent Verizon iPhone queues. The lineup at the 5th Avenue store, usually the longest in the US, is believed to have grown to over 1,000 people. Nearby, the SoHo store’s line wrapped around the corner and extended to at least Houston Street.
As expected, Apple’s popup SXSW store in Austin is real and has its own line. Other queues are ranging into the dozens or hundreds, some of which may have been longer than for the original iPad.
Few instances have More >