Tag Archives: AE

Ask Engadget: best Android PC on a stick?

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Ask Engadget best Android PC on a stick

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Chris, who wants to find a low-cost way of getting his wife online. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"My family's already invested in Android, and my as wife isn't the most computer literate, I thought an Android PC stick would get her online without any fuss. However, there are so many available, I thought I'd ask which one's worth my time, if any? Thanks!"

Well, when it comes to Android sticks, you're spoilt for choice. After all, you've got enterprise-level offerings like Project Ophelia through to the FAVI Streaming Stick, the GameStick, Always Innovating and, of course, the humble MK802. When it comes to which one you should buy? Let's leave that up to the mood of the vox populi, who will be sharing their opinions below the break.

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Ask Engadget: best Android e-mail client?

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Ask Engadget best Android email client

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Saad, who's got wants some of that Mailbox goodness for himself. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I've seen wonderful applications like Mailbox and Sparrow on iOS, which do the job and aren't too shabby in the looks department. Having used Sparrow on the iPad, I've been looking for an alternative that can be used on my Android phone. Any suggestions? Thanks!"

We can tell you're not a fan of the Gmail app, so what about alternatives? Well, perhaps something like Aqua Mail, MailDroid or K-9 Mail could float your ocean-going vessel. If not those, then maybe it's time to ask what the Engadget faithful use on their daily drivers, so have at it, friends.

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Ask Engadget: best Bluetooth headphones for audiophiles?

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Ask Engadget best Bluetooth headphones for audiophiles

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Christopher, who wants to brave the world of Bluetooth cans for his daily rounds. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"Yeah, okay. 'Audiophile' and 'Bluetooth' don't go together, but I'd really like a good pair of Bluetooth cans to use with my iPhone. Naturally, we're talking about headphones / cans rather than earbuds, ideally with track control buttons, a microphone and noise canceling -- but what I'm after is clean, beautifully reproduced audio above anything else. What can you suggest for less than £300 ($455)?"

Engadget's resident audiophile is a Klipsch evangelist, so it's probably best to start by talking about its Image One Bluetooth headset. It's £199 / $249 and comes with A2DP and aptX for high-quality audio, and we're fairly sure the company wouldn't put its name to a headset unless it was sure it was half-decent. Still, if you're sure you want to max out that headphone budget, then for £259 / $399, you can get Parrot's Phillippe Stark-designed Zik cans, which come with noise cancellation, jawbone microphone and touch-sensitive controls. Then again, we can only offer you so many suggestions before we open this question up to the folks in the peanut gallery -- so what do you peeps down there think?

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Ask Engadget: budget AIO display for a Mac Pro?

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Ask Engadget how long should I firstcharge a battery

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Richard-Keith, who leapt before he looked and now needs our help. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"Sheepishly, I have to admit that I didn't do my homework, but when the chance to get a Mac Pro came around, I didn't stop to think about the consequences. Now I've got a lovely new desktop, but now I'm lamenting the lack of an SD-card reader, built-in speaker and a webcam. I'm sure there are other displays that do the latter three jobs, including the Apple Cinema Display, but is there something a little cheaper than its rather staggering $999 price-tag? Thank you from the bottom my heart."

Let's be fair and help out our friend, after all, we've all made that odd impulse purchase without doing our homework. There aren't that many monitors that can do all of the jobs you need, but you can pick up a Cinemaview with extra USB ports, or perhaps ASUS' VK248H (and related), which even have Displayport outputs and a Webcam, although it may be a bit weak in the speaker department. Still, it's high time we passed this question over to the throng of Engadgeteers, to find out if they know of anything better.

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Ask Engadget: how long should I first-charge a battery?

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Ask Engadget how long should I firstcharge a battery

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Bernard, who wants an answer to the age-old question of ensuring you get the most out of your batteries. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"It's said that you should always leave brand-new electronics plugged in for 'a few hours' after being fully charged, but how do you decide that period of time? Is there a calculation depending on the capacity of the battery, or what? Help me, please!"

Nowadays, do you even need to? While memory effect was an issue on NiCad batteries, Lithium Ion units don't suffer from the same issue. It could also be tied to the belief that most chargers only re-juice batteries up to 95 percent, but we can't find any authoritative proof on the matter. Let's turn it over to the electrical engineers and battery experts who read Engadget on a regular basis so we can sort this out, once and for all!

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Ask Engadget: best language to develop apps for Android and iOS?

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Ask Engadget best language to develop apps for Android and iOS

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Nikunj, who wants to produce his own apps for both sides of the smartphone war. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I'm a C++ student and I was wondering what's the best language to develop apps in both Android and iOS? Is C++ enough, and if not, could you all suggest some other languages? Thank you."

Your humble narrator isn't a developer, but has scratched out the knowledge that neither platform's SDK is that germane to C++. iOS, for one, uses Objective-C or Cocoa, while Android at least does provide a C++ developers kit, it's apparently not as nice to use as the Java equivalent. Beyond that? That's where we'll turn this question over to those developers who proudly call themselves members of the Engadget fraternity.

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Ask Engadget: best / most ‘open’ e-book store?

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Ask Engadget best most open ebook store

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Arthur, who's considering giving this new-fangled electronic book thing a go. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"During a recent move, I dumped a dozen boxes of books at goodwill, and have decided to give e-books a try. But what's the most "open" way to buy them? Me and my wife want to share titles (reasonable enough, given that we wouldn't buy two copies from a bookstore). As such, we'd like to open an account somewhere that will let us read on our various computers, PlayBook, iPad and Nook. Is there a store that you can suggest?"

Given your humble narrator's long-held resistance to e-books (and devotion to building a library of their own), this is one we're going to pass straight over to the Engadget community. So, dear friends, what's your opinion?

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Ask Engadget: can you rent a tablet?

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Ask Engadget can you rent a tablet

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Sarah, who would like a tablet, but only for one week a year. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"One week every summer, I go out of town for a convention that I work with. I don't get a lot of downtime, but when I do, I want to stay connected. A laptop's too bulky and a smartphone just won't have the battery life, so is there a way I could rent a tablet with a 3/4G connection for a week at a time? Thanks"

Sarah, you've posed your humble narrator a real head-scratcher here. We've hunted around online, and found some web-based services that at least promise to do what you need. One that we are familiar with is Xcom Global, who will loan you a tablet if you select one of its MiFi plans, but it's a service designed more for international travel than a short hop like yours. We found a few places, including RentOurTablets, RentAComputer and RentFusion -- but we're not qualified to say if any of them are any good. As a consequence, it's time to turn this question over to the Engadget community. If you've got any experience of services that you trust and have used before, chime in and spread a little knowledge this weekend.

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A&E network brings free full-length episodes and movies to the iPhone

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A&E networks brings free fulllength episodes and movies to the iPhone

Good news for Rick and Corey fans. A&E's brought its streaming app across from the iPad to the iPhone. Better still, it has all the full length content from favorites like Storage Wars and Pawn Stars. Both the History and Lifetime have followed suit, and there's even some extra A&E content found within the app, the kind that's typically found on the show's dedicated site -- expect plenty of behind-the-scenes antics. If you're also in possession of an Xfinity Comcast account, the app will open up access to previous seasons of the network's top shows. There's still no AirPlay support, although 9to5Mac reports that it's certainly in the works. Hopefully, that means dozing off in front of A&E content on your Apple TV shouldn't be far away. In Duck Dynasty's Si Robertson's immortal words: work hard, nap hard.

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Via: iDownload blog, 9to5Mac

Ask Engadget: best roaming options for a trip to the UK and ROI?

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Ask Engadget best roaming options for a trip to the UK and ROI

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Tom, who wants to know what's the best option to get connected during a trip over the pond. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"Hi Engadget, I'm a Verizon subscriber and I've got an upcoming trip to London and Dublin. As I'm on a CDMA network, my Galaxy Nexus isn't going to be much use to me, so what options are available to me? I'm only going for 8 days, so we can't justify a big investment, but I only need calling and GPS (to get around). Thanks!"

You're right that there's no CDMA networks in the UK, but you aren't without options.

  • Of course, the easiest and cheapest thing to do is convince a friend to loan you their unlocked GSM smartphone and buy a SIM card when you arrive in the UK, and then Dublin.
  • Alternatively, you could pick up a pay as you go handset from one of the UK's budget carriers. Tesco Mobile offer the Motorola Motosmart, its cheapest with GPS, for £50 ($78), but if you can get by with using a map, then the Nokia 100 is available for just £9 ($14).

But, dear commenters, this is where you come in. Got a better suggestion? Throw it into the space below and help Tom stay connected wherever he go.

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