Sprint changing return policy tomorrow, nixing Premier program at year's end

Sprint's been making mondo policy changes over the last two weeks in the form of increased fees, so what's a few more cuts? We've received tips over the last day or so that suggest the Now Network up to its shenanigans again, making immediate changes to its return policy and soon putting the kibosh on its Premier program. Effective tomorrow, Sprint's trimming its return period from 30 days to 14 and the risk-free trial offer -- which ultimately allows you to walk away from your service within a month without being charged a penny -- is vanishing into thin air. Reaching out for confirmation from a carrier spokesperson, we were told: "Beginning Sept. 16, Sprint is updating its return policy for new lines of service, upgrades, accessories and devices. We will share more details of the new Sprint Satisfaction Guarantee at a later date." This doesn't fully answer our query, of course, but it at least confirms that the return policy will fall victim to a few adjustments on Friday.

We also began receiving tips today foretelling the upcoming demise of the Sprint Premier program -- the company's two-tiered VIP program that offers annual upgrades and other perks. Premier members will apparently be notified as early as tomorrow (or as late as October) that they have until year's end to cash in on their remaining benefits. The only reasoning given: "to help us focus on the areas that customers value the most, such as unlimited data plans." Interpret that how you will, but ginormous things are going down in Overland Park, and we haven't even heard the wondrous news about the carrier's "Strategy Update" yet. Unless, of course, it's all tied together somehow...

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Sprint changing return policy tomorrow, nixing Premier program at year's end

Sprint changing return policy tomorrow, nixing Premier program at year's end originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/15/sprint-changing-return-policy-tomorrow-nixing-premier-program-a/

Arno Zimmerling Jacqueline Kiesel Michel Rohr Hilde Baaden

NYC Will Have 10,000 Shared Bikes Rolling Around the Streets Next Summer [Video]

After much gnashing of teeth from city residents, NYC's transportation department has the go ahead to launch their planned bike sharing system, comprising 10,000 bikes and 600 stations that will cover much of Manhattan and Brooklyn. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BoG7dIcDuhY/nyc-will-have-10000-shared-bikes-rolling-around-the-streets-next-summer

Monika Kley Heidemarie Frick Maike Beetz Fiona Henschel

Windows 8 Re-Imagines the Windows Experience

Microsoft unveiled Windows 8 during the keynote at its Build developer conference Tuesday morning. Executives showed off the operating system's versatility on a variety of mobile and desktop platforms, pointing out features like cloud-based photo sharing, streamlined contact management and the Metro UI overhaul.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/windows-8-experience/

Sabine Kinzler Frieda Falkner Hans-Joachim Kammann Antonio Fellberg

Giinii AudioBulb hands, eyes and ears-on

GiiNii AudioBulb
Alright, so check this out -- that thing above is both a 5W LED light bulb and a 10W wireless speaker. Around the edge is a ring of glowing diodes with a four-stage dimmer, while the center is a 2.25-inch driver that speaks to a dock via 2.4GHz wireless. The AudioBulb from GiiNii is a fairly unique way to kick out the jams anywhere in your abode and they disappear into practically any lamp. A basic setup of two bulbs, a dock and a remote will set you back a surprisingly steep $299, but you can add on up to six more bulbs for $99 a pop. Speaking of rooms and bulbs, you can configure the speakers to work in stereo pairs or in mono, and set up two zones with different volume levels.

The dock is a chintzy feeling piece of plastic with an integrated iPhone/iPod connector and around back you'll find an auxiliary jack for the non-Apple fans. The dock can connect to the speakers from up to 100 feet away, depending on the environment, and comes pre-paired with the bulbs in the box. Adding additional speakers requires just the push of a button on the base and bulb simultaneously to get the party started. It was tough to hear the tunes over the din in the hall at Pepcom's event, but we're confident it can't quite compare with the Play 3. They did, however, give off enough light to keep their little corner of the convention well lit. Check out the gallery below as well as the PR after the break.

Continue reading Giinii AudioBulb hands, eyes and ears-on

Giinii AudioBulb hands, eyes and ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/6pnyfgWtyAA/

Elsa Alexander Furtmann Siegrid Holstein Michael Vollmar Robin Jones

Evernote Web gets a new interface, Facebook sharing, and more

evernote web
Evernote, the popular multi-platform 'digital memory' app, has done some serious re-tooling of its Web interface. In addition to a more polished UI that more closely mirrors the look of Evernote on the desktop, the update brings features like notebook stacks and snippet view to the Web.

Auto-saving is now enabled as well, and you can select multiple items by holding down the Cmd or Ctrl key on your Mac or Windows keyboard. If you've got items stored in your notebooks that you want to share with friends or co-workers, Evernote has improved that process, too. You can quickly post an item to Facebook, share it via email, or generate a Web sharing link to paste into an IM conversation or status update.

Head over to the Evernote Web login page to try out the new interface.

Evernote Web gets a new interface, Facebook sharing, and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/evernote-web-gets-a-new-interface-facebook-sharing-and-more/

Dieter Schreiter Monika Kley Heidemarie Frick Maike Beetz

AMD Fusion tablets running Windows 8 at Build 2011: hands-on with video

You've already seen our in-depth hands-on with Samsung's Series 7 Slate, boasting an Intel processor and running Windows 8, and now it's time to give the other guys a little love. We got a chance to sit down with the folks at AMD, masters of the Fusion APU, before the Expo doors opened here at Build, and it would be an understatement to say that they're excited about getting their x86 chipsets running on Windows 8 machines. As with Samsung's Slate, AMD was showing off a pair of slates we've seen before, specifically the Acer Iconia Tab W500, running on the company's C-50 APU, and MSI's WinPad 110W, sporting the Z-01 APU. This is the first the company's seen of the Metro UI running on its chipsets, and like them, we're impressed with its performance. You'll get the same speedy boot-up here, as well as fast and fluid touch navigation. Unfortunately, they aren't giving up details on future devices, but we should see Brazos powering Windows 8 tablets, desktops , and notebooks in due time. For a look at AMD powering Windows 8, check out our video after break.

Continue reading AMD Fusion tablets running Windows 8 at Build 2011: hands-on with video

AMD Fusion tablets running Windows 8 at Build 2011: hands-on with video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/gL9H6gQjndc/

Janna Löhnig Gabriela Schnee Rita Imhof Angelika Frey

AMD Fusion tablets running Windows 8 at Build 2011: hands-on with video

You've already seen our in-depth hands-on with Samsung's Series 7 Slate, boasting an Intel processor and running Windows 8, and now it's time to give the other guys a little love. We got a chance to sit down with the folks at AMD, masters of the Fusion APU, before the Expo doors opened here at Build, and it would be an understatement to say that they're excited about getting their x86 chipsets running on Windows 8 machines. As with Samsung's Slate, AMD was showing off a pair of slates we've seen before, specifically the Acer Iconia Tab W500, running on the company's C-50 APU, and MSI's WinPad 110W, sporting the Z-01 APU. This is the first the company's seen of the Metro UI running on its chipsets, and like them, we're impressed with its performance. You'll get the same speedy boot-up here, as well as fast and fluid touch navigation. Unfortunately, they aren't giving up details on future devices, but we should see Brazos powering Windows 8 tablets, desktops , and notebooks in due time. For a look at AMD powering Windows 8, check out our video after break.

Continue reading AMD Fusion tablets running Windows 8 at Build 2011: hands-on with video

AMD Fusion tablets running Windows 8 at Build 2011: hands-on with video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/gL9H6gQjndc/

Janna Löhnig Gabriela Schnee Rita Imhof Angelika Frey

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface

Bing transitions
Bing's new HTML5-and-CSS3-enhanced search interface, which was first demonstrated back in September 2010 to showcase the power of IE9, has started to roll out.

The most notable addition to the new interface is is smooth page transitions -- the fade in and out -- and navigation tabs (maps, images, videos, etc.) now persistently float at the top of the page. WinRumors is also reporting that a feature reminiscent of Google Instant search is being added to Bing, with page elements smoothly transitioning in and out as you type in your search query.

If you want to try out the new Bing UI, your best bet is to set your locale to United States - English and pray that you're part of the initial roll out. Alternatively, just wait a few days until MIX 2011, Microsoft's Web developer conference, which is when the new Bing UI should be officially launched.

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/bing-begins-roll-out-of-html5-enhanced-search-interface/

Charlotte Kadelbach Hugo Ruß Edith Hupertz Heinrich Peller

Acoustic Research ARS20i App-Enhanced Docking Station

The ARS20i App-Enhanced Docking Station from Acoustic Research is big enough for your iPad, but it can also dock and charge iPhones and iPods.  The mounting arm (visible in the picture, above)  adjusts to display your device in landscape or portrait mode for easy viewing.  With the iOS device, you’ll have app-enhanced alarm clock functions, [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/09/13/acoustic-research-ars20i-app-enhanced-docking-station/

Hanna Wohlrab Henrik Brenner Karla Reusch Wilhelm Klassen

iPad Giveaways ? real or fake?

Gone are the days when you used to find a letter in your mailbox that says you won something or that you were one in a million chosen for the grand prize of a raffle you didn?t even recall joining in. In this age, the internet is the easiest way to send out scams. Facebook is no exception. Recently, a group is claiming to give 10,000 iPad 2 tablets to Facebook users for review purposes. The participants are contacted through [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/ipad-giveaways-real-or-fake/

Viktoria Barz Emma Sauter Rosemarie Ramsauer Jörn Domenighini