Google I/O was last week and with it came a ton of great great news. Everything from Google's entry in to the living room, to codes, launches, Android, and more. There's so much, in fact, that I'm lumping it all into this one post. Details on Google TV, Froyo, Places API, WebM, and more are all after the jump.
;)
What you need to know:
• Check.in is an HTML5 app built by location veteran Brightkite to cute check-in fatigue.
• There are about a dozen location based networks you can check in to right now, and Check.in is looking to be the one check in to rule them all.
• Launches with Foursquare, Brightkite, and three networks in experimental mode: Gowalla, TriOut, and Whrrl
• Problem is still that there isn't one unified database of places, each service has its own. All Check.in does is coss check and do its best to match.
• Works on iPhone, Android, iPad, and any other HTML5 capable browser.
I've been using Check.in in closed beta for quite some time, and I use it quite rarely and only when I remember. Most often it's because of the simple fact that half the time it can't find me on one of the services it offers. Whether it's Brightkite or Gowalla, it just has trouble actually hitting all (then) three services it incorporates. Foursquare usually worked just fine, but at that point I might as well just use the apps. This isn't a problem with Check.in, it's an inherent problem with the services. There needs to be one central database of places, but it hasn't happened yet. What do you think? Have you tried it out? Let us know in the comments!
brightkite, check.in, html5, mobile ;)
What you need to know:
• Following yet another leak from Vietnam, the baseline MacBook has received a hefty refresh.
• Pricing is still $999
• Notable changes:
- LED screen
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- NVIDIA GeForce 320M
- 10 hour battery
• Mini DisplayPort now pumps Audio out to HDMI
This is interesting. At a price point of only $200 less than the $1199 13" MacBook Pro, it's certainly closing in on the Pro range of components. The only reason I can see someone getting the white MacBook over a Pro is the 10 hour battery life that until this point was reserve for the higher end MacBook Pros. SO, if you want a 13" form factor, and the 10 hour battery, you need to go with the white MacBook.
;)
What you need to know:
• When the Nexus One launched, they were poised to revolutionize the mobile industry by offering the device independent from carriers, shifting the attention to which device you wanted, not which carrier had the device you wanted.
• This would then drive carriers to step up their game, because customers could get the device they wanted, and pick the carrier that was best.
• Unfortunately, Google consistently delivered poor numbers on the Nexus One.
• Now, Google is pulling the online Nexus One store, and sending customers to carriers to sign up for service just as we're all used to.
I'm pretty upset this didn't take. It had a lot of potential, and I feel like it's one of those things that just needed more time. The phone didn't even launch with all the carriers available. By the time they did, they replaced the Nexus One with the Droid Incredible on Verizon, and the EVO 4G on Sprint. Eventually, if they had launched with every carrier available, carriers would have realized that they had to step it up in order not to lose business, but unfortunately, that just wasn't the case. Hopefully we'll see some kind of resurgence soon, otherwise we're all stuck in the carrier's stranglehold for the foreseeable future.
Full post from the Google Blog after the jump.
;)
What you need to know:
• This Monday morning, a German press conference broke an embargo on the HTC Wildfire
• The Wildfire is an entry level, very affordable HTC smartphone running Android 2.1 with Sense UI and a candybar form factor, a sort of HTC Desire-mini
• Qualcomm MSM7225 processor clocked at 525MHz
• 3.2-inch QVGA touchscreen
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
• 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS/AGPS, Blueooth 2.1+EDR
• 512MB Flash and 384MB of RAM, and microSD expansion
• After the leak, the phone got official on T-Mobile in the UK for £20 ($29)/mo.
Very nice device, but again, not available in the UK. But if it did launch on an affordable carrier, this could be a great device for students who are looking for something affordable, yet don't want to compromise too much in the vein of functionality. Press release after the jump!
Your one essential destination for the latest tech news on a need-to-know basis. Stop worrying about that bloated RSS reader. We've got you covered.
What's more, is that The Circuit isn't just your one RSS feed to subscribe to, it's also a weekly show that delivers a week's worth of up-to-date tech news in just 15 min.
The Circuit is an FTW LLC Production. Original digital content and products that just can't lose. Hit Us Up →
© 2010, FTW LLC. All rights reserved.
