There’s been hints of it coming as early as February, but we now have a smoking gun at the FCC: the Galaxy S III is coming to T-Mobile. A Samsung SGH-T999 has popped up at the agency sporting newly added 1,700MHz AWS support that’s the telltale sign of a T-Mobile device, along with the T999 name itself (the T989 is the network’s Galaxy S II). It also totes 850MHz and 1,900MHz WCDMA bands being used for HSPA+ data rather than just voice, a clue that the phone is ready for refarmed GSM spectrum. Just in case there was any remaining doubt, we’ve further spotted a related T999V entry at the Bluetooth SIG with a rather familiar-looking image as well as a Samsung-hosted T999 user agent profile on the web that matches what we know about the Android 4.0 hardware. We have yet to get a look at whether or not the T-Mobile version is any different on the outside, but with the FCC’s help, there’s not much left to know before the expected summer US launch.

Samsung Galaxy S III for T-Mobile hits FCC, brings future-proofed HSPA+ for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online music startup Thefuture.fm released an iOS app Wednesday morning, bringing mix sets from 5,000 DJs to the iPhone.

Thefuture.fm CEO and co-founder David Stein told me during a phone call Tuesday that the mobile app is just a first step for his company’s goal to distribute and monetize music mixed by famous DJs. Key to these plans is Thefuture’s own music recognition technology, which was developed with DJs and live events in mind.

Stein told me that he had been mulling over how to bring mixtapes and live events online for years; getting individual licenses for each and every track used by thousands of DJs seemed impossible, and the major labels asked for huge advances just to get started.

However, he also didn’t just want to take the easy way out and operate a service from a dubious web host out of Russia. “Once I understood what the problem was, I wanted to be part of a solution,” remembered Stein.

His eventual approach was to go with the same model that’s also used by Pandora.

Non-interactive music services don’t have to strike individual licensing deals, and instead simply pay compulsory licensing fees, which are then redistributed to the rights holders whose music is played on these services. However, even those deals require reporting of all the music played – and that’s where it gets complicated if your music regularly fades back and forth between two tracks, incorporates unreleased material or pitches vocals beyond recognition.

That’s why Thefuture.fm developed its own audio fingerprinting technlogy called Mixscan that listens in on any uploaded mixset in an attempt to recognize as many tracks as possible.

DJs can then add additional data, and even upload their own sound samples. Thefuture.fm keeps a tally of which song is played for how long, and how many people actually listen to each and every song — even if two songs are mixed together, playing simultaneously.

All of this is meant to ensure that rights holders are paid their fair share, and also help with music discovery: Thefuture.fm will automatically display a mix that uses a certain song if a user searches for that song title.

David and his team launched a first DJ mix site called Dubset a year ago; the site relaunched as Thefuture.fm this spring, and he told me that first freemium features and monetization options will launch in July. Thefuture.fm is also talking to various other music services about licensing its Mixscan technology, and the site is on the verge of closing a Series A round of financing. To date, it has raised $1.3 million.

Check out screenshots of the iPhone app below:

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Facebook users on Android, iOS and mobile browsers aren’t stuck with postage-sized pictures and posts any more. Facebook announced on Monday that it now supports full-sized pictures on all three platforms as well as posts that will automatically scale from edge-to-edge of a handheld device. The rollout of these changes is now in progress, so some users may not yet see the updates for a bit.

A quick look at some examples from Facebook show the larger pics — up to 3x in size — and posts make much better use of a smartphone’s display, making the experience more like that on a full-sized computer:

This new feature won’t require Android or iOS users to update their apps as Facebook is pushing the updates on the server side. This is definitely one of the advantages of using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript so heavily in Facebook’s mobile efforts; not only does it provide a similar look and feel across a wide range of devices, but some new features can be implemented without needing several hundred million Facebook users to update their apps. I noticed that the Facebook app on my Galaxy Nexus already has the new feature updates and it definitely provides a more immersive viewing experience that requires fewer taps.

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We got a look at a holographic telepresence project from Microsoft Research earlier this week, but that’s far from the only Kinect-enhanced rig it’s working on these days. This setup dubbed a MirageTable was also shown off at the Computer-Human Interaction conference in Austin, Texas this week, offering a glimpse of one possible future where two people can interact with virtual objects on a table as if they were sitting across from each other (or simply do so on their own). To make that happen, the setup relies on a ceiling-mounted 3D projector to display the images on a curved surface, while a Kinect on each end of the connection both captures the person’s image and tracks their gaze to ensure images are displayed with the proper perspective. You can check it out in action after the break, although some of the effect is lost without 3D glasses.

Continue reading Microsoft Research’s MirageTable brings some augmented reality to your tabletop

Microsoft Research’s MirageTable brings some augmented reality to your tabletop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 07:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T has outed the new Samsung Focus 2, a $49.99 Windows Phone packing 4G LTE and a 4-inch Super AMOLED display with a front-facing VGA camera. The latest in Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 devices, the Focus 2 has a 5-megapixel main camera with 720p HD video recording, and will go on sale in the US on May 20 for under fifty bucks with a new, two-year agreement.

That undercuts the Nokia Lumia 900, also running Windows Phone and pairing it with LTE on AT&T’s network, though the ecosystem of devices supporting Microsoft’s OS is hardly saturated right now. The Focus 2 will be available in “pure white” only, and measures 10.98mm thick and tips scales at 4.3oz.

All of the usual Windows Phone functionality is present, such as voice control and Bing integration, and AT&T Is positioning the handset as a cheaper way for new owners to get on the smartphone ladder. Even by opting for a cheaper device, though, they’re not exactly missing out: Microsoft’s stringent specification control around Windows Phone devices mean a budget handset like the Focus 2 isn’t much different from more expensive models running the same OS.

We’ve always been fans of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology, and the 4-inch form-factor has plenty of fans for its compromise between portability and browsing real-estate. The Samsung Focus 2 will hit AT&T on May 20, priced at $49.99.

AT&T Samsung Focus 2 brings LTE Windows Phone for $50 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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A group of developers in Russia recently launched the “HackStore,” a centralized location for third-party OS X applications. Like Cydia on iOS, the HackStore is a software hub that allows developers to distribute applications without having to endure Apple’s approval process. The developers behind the project claim that piracy will not be tolerated in their app store, though it is unclear exactly what measures they are taking to prevent pirated software from being distributed through the HackStore. “The biggest Mac Appstore problem is that they limit their users in everything, without giving an opportunity to expand these limits,” HackStore’s creators wrote on their website. “This is not correct, because ONLY users should decide which applications they should install and which one do not. We think HackStore [will] break through the narrow confines of Mac Appstore.”

[Via Engadget]

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Not getting the bandwidth you need, Heidi? Then maybe the folks at North Carolina State University can help. They’ve figured out a way to boost multi-hop networks, where data is forwarded across two or more nodes (hops) in order to reach far-flung users. Networks like this can often get bogged down by interference between neighboring nodes. But by using algorithms to automatically modulate the power of each link, the NC State scientists have managed to jump efficiency by up to 80 percent. This has the effect of not only increasing speed, but also saving juice if the systems are battery powered — like those used by the US Army, which sponsored the research. After all, just because you’re away from the throne doesn’t mean you have to be out of the game.

New research brings better wireless to remote locations, 80 percent faster GoT downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have cooked up a new graphene-based material that could provide a speed boost for all electronics. We’ve seen the carbon allotrope turn up in circuitry and transistors before, but the new chemical modification — graphene monoxide — is said to be easier to scale up, and most importantly is semiconducting, unlike the insulating or conducting forms that have preceded it. This also means graphene can now provide the triad of electrical conductivity characteristics. The scientists were honest enough to admit the discovery was as much by chance as design, with it coming to light while investigating another material containing carbon nanotubes and tin oxide. We’re sure they’re not the first to make a discovery this way, we just haven’t had time to check the notes to be sure of it.

New material brings semiconducting to the graphene party originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know the score. You’ve stepped away from your desktop, and then you think to yourself, “Damn. If only I could remember that website I’d just visited.” Now, users of Google Chrome’s latest beta will no longer have that worry. The latest incarnation of Google’s web browser gives users immediate access to all of their tabs, across all devices, which can be found within the new tab window. Here, users will discover an “Other devices” menu that gives quick and easy access to all those sites you just visited — yet for the life of you, can’t seem to remember. According to Google, beta users will see this feature gradually roll out over the coming week. Not a moment too soon, either.

Google Chrome 19 beta brings live tab synching to the fold originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MyWi gets friendly with iOS 5, brings faster connection speeds and improved reliability originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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