If you want some of that Porsche Design look, without the German engineered price, then check what just pulled up on the driveway: a port of the custom theme and icons. Sadly, only BlackBerry 9900 / 9300 owners — which share much of the same hardware as the P’9981 — running BlackBerry OS7 (not 7.1) can give their handset that new car smell. This means the sharp lines and luxurious brushed finish that made the P’9981 catch our eye in the first place will remain firmly in those pockets deep enough to afford it. Tap the source link if you still want to add the racing stripes to your current saloon.

Porsche Design theme ported to BlackBerry 9900 / 9930, saves you a small fortune originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PocketNow  |  N4BB  | Email this | Comments
Engadget

Mobile shopping tools like RedLaser and ShopSavvy have been a huge help in letting users compare prices through barcode scanning and decide if the product they’re seeing in store can be found for cheaper nearby or online. Now, those apps are letting people not only find better deals but immediately take advantage of those deals right through the apps.

EBay, which owns RedLaser, last week showed off how a consumer can scan a product, find the lowest price from retailers from participating businesses, and then buy the product right through the latest version of RedLaser using PayPal. The implementation is still limited with Toys-R-Us being one of the few retailers to partner with RedLaser on the service. But eBay expects to get more retailers to sign on. Users can’t buy things on eBay or through the eBay app, just though RedLaser.

Now ShopSavvy, which competes against RedLaser and has just raised million, is bringing similar functionality with ShopSavvy 5, the latest versions of its iPhone and Android apps. Users scan a product and see a better deal from retailers like Walmart.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com and BN.com. Then they can buy that product directly through the ShopSavvy app, which is due out Thursday, and have it delivered to them. If customers have set up a ShopSavvy wallet, they can make a purchase with one tap. ShopSavvy introduced this scan-and-buy functionality earlier this year in a limited beta but the service is now expanding nationwide. ShopSavvy 5 also brings a bunch of other improvements like better keyword search, improved comparison shopping and more local deals highlighted on its deals tab.

The rise of instant scan and buy raises the stakes for retailers. They have always had to worry about their prices relative to the competition, but now the consequences of being overpriced can be felt instantaneously. For retailers who integrate with these tools, there’s the opportunity to pick off a consumer instantly right from the aisle of a competitor. They don’t have to lure them over to their own mobile site or into their store. They can seal a transaction immediately. But they do have to price aggressively. Retailers who stand to lose a sale can also respond by price matching.

For consumers, scan-and-buy is another sign of how smartphone apps are making shopping even simpler and how it’s empowering users to always find the lowest deals from retailers. As Om wrote, consumers are becoming smart buyers who are armed with a wealth of data at their fingertips. Now, the next step for mobile commerce is to remove any remaining hang-ups in the buying process. If people want to buy, especially quickly, purchasing through these apps can be a big help.

This comes at a perfect time for the holidays when shoppers will be stressed and short on time as they look for gifts. As we’ve written, mobile shopping is going to be big this holiday season and the addition of instant scanning and buying will only add to that.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Flash analysis: the future of Yahoo
• The future of mobile: a segment analysis by GigaOM Pro
• Flash analysis: Collaborative consumption – a first look at the new web-sharing economy

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM

Had your eye on an AirPlay accessory for your iPhone or iPod touch? Well, Pioneer is looking to help you pull the trigger on one. The company has announced a new set of AirPlay Music Tap systems that enable access to your music library without being chained to a peripheral. By connecting one of these bad boys to your home WiFi or ethernet network, you’ll be able to access your entire iTunes library in various locations throughout your home — after you install Apple’s Remote app, of course. Other features include a 2.5-inch full-color LCD display, Pandora, iHeartRadio, vTuner internet radio and Air Jam, which allows for playlist sharing on your arsenal of the company’s Music Tap systems. When this pair drops in October, you’ll have your choice of the X-SMC-3-S for 0 or the more dapper, bluetooth-enabled X-SMC4-Elite for 0. You can take a peek at the Elite, along with the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control

AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink iPodNN  |  Pioneer (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments
Engadget

Now that Commodore USA has sufficiently piqued your curiosity with a revamped Commodore 64 prototype, it’s ready to capitalize on the idea. Quite literally, we might add. 5 buys you the basic basic model with an 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 chip, NVIDIA ION 2 graphics, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive — which it promises to deliver by “early June” — with hundred-dollar increments adding premium features like an additional 2GB of memory, a Blu-Ray drive, up to 1TB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth. However, if you’re simply looking for a compact keyboard computer (rather than reliving 80′s nostalgia) there’s another option on tap — a likely rebadged wedge of a machine (with weaker specs) that Commodore’s calling the VIC-Slim. Even at just 5, though, something tells us it won’t be the “wonder computer” of 2011.

Continue reading Commodore USA puts the new C64 up for pre-sales, unveils far-less-retrotastic VIC-Slim

Commodore USA puts the new C64 up for pre-sales, unveils far-less-retrotastic VIC-Slim originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Commodore USA  | Email this | Comments
Engadget

When it comes to playing with his guitar, what most people do indeed miss will be a chance on how to play a guitar. The truth is that there are many resources out there that would help those people who are amateurs. In order to genuinely understand an instrument, you need to always dig into its history. Getting to know this issue is as important as understanding how to play a nylon string guitar. Of course the preferred resource is right there close at hand. All you need to undertake is to refer most of the free sites that would allow you to be able to know about the nylon string guitar. If you want to learn to play the guitar song rocketeer, then you’ll need some help

Furthermore, when it goes to knowing how to participate in a guitar, ensure for you to do get a good instructor. This can become imperative. The fact of the matter is there exists many ways in that you can learn how to play a guitar whether it’s articles or videos. Tips to understand is what exactly immediately is. You must be aware that one social mediums such since YouTube are truly great in the case of learn about how to play a guitar. Still for a lot of, while you do get other players who write about their interest online, you also are able to tap into many videos that will be like instructional ones.

These will certainly be ideal for you especially if you prefer to play and see whether here is the instrument that is ideal. There are those who do analyze how to play your guitar merely through head. This is of course people who are gifted in that one manner. However, if you really do want to learn to really play a guitar you have to get hold of a good instructor. This can the reality is make or break your wish to learn. If you think that you really do have to have a learning environment that is normally physically present, there are enough chances to buy classes within your neighborhood. The fact is there exists many classified and advertorials that could offer you this possibility.Far east Movement is my favorite band. Check out this version of an awesome rocketeer cover

Once again, all this is dependent upon what your requirements can be. Based on this you have to make a decision. Another aspect that you undoubtedly do need to consider would be the issue of finances. There are those that would demand a reasonable amount whilst there are as well free services. How you end up picking depends on you. However, it would be prudent to state there exists many cases where the best tutors or instructors are individuals who do get good feedback. Ideally, these are the people you should try and tap. After many, it is very essential that you get the best in the case of learning.

You may ask yourself, why bother tapping touchscreens or physical buttons when an accelerometer can be strapped to the wrist, turning any ol’ arm into a wireless touch panel? That’s the claim that NEC is making today. A wrist-worn band of compact acceleration sensors divides the arm into seven sections along the upper, middle, and lower arm that can then be assigned as virtual inputs to an electronic device. No more reaching into a bag to answer the phone, no more plucking at the strings of a guitar to create song — everything is controlled through a natural tap of the arm or clap of the hands. Once in a lifetime tech that feels the same as it ever was.

Continue reading NEC turns your arm into a touch-sensitive remote control

NEC turns your arm into a touch-sensitive remote control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Engadget