The Circuit

Google I/O: Here's What Went Down

Mark Burstiner — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:38:36 +0000

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.

Check.in Launches To The Public

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:13:46 +0000

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!

Source: Check.in Checks Out Of Closed Beta And Into Your HTML5-Compatible Device (http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/18/checkin)

MacBook Refresh Gets A Hefty 10-hour Battery

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:59:36 +0000

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.

Source: New Entry-Level MacBook Leaked [VIDEO] (http://mashable.com/2010/05/15/new-macbook)
Source: MacBook refresh gets official with 10-hour battery (http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/18/macbook-refresh-gets-official/)

Google No Longer Selling Nexus One Online

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:33:33 +0000

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.

HTC Wildfire Leaks, Gets Official

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:22:03 +0000

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!

Amazon Kindle App Coming To Android

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:09:54 +0000

What you need to know:
• Kindle for Android coming this summer
• Requires Android 1.6+
• Requires SD card
• Supports Droid, Droid Incredible, Nexus One, MyTouch, CLIQ, and many others.
• Buy books directly from the app, whispersync enabled. This is big, as it's not possible on current versions of the iPhone and iPad apps.
• Newspapers, magazines, and blogs aren't available on the Android version right now.

As great as it is for Amazon to cover all their bases, and I like that I have the freedom to use Kindle on any device, I can't see myself ever reading on my Droid. I tried using the iPhone app when I used my iPhone as my primary, and it just hurt my eyes. Even if I didn't have my actual Kindle on me, I doubt if I'd ever use the Android app to read. What do you think?

Press release after the jump!

Visa In2Pay Is The First Step Towards Mass Mobile Payment Adoption

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:34:34 +0000

What you need to know:
• Visa In2Pay is a contactless payment hardware solution for the iPhone in the form of a case
• The case takes a microSD card to activate and make functional
• Will be accepted anywhere contactless Visa payments are accepted (you know, you see them all the time, but you never use them)
• It wil rely on an iPhone app to function
• The wireless connection will not be constantly active, but will wait for the trigger from the iPhone app to turn on wireless communication, and will give feedback when the communication is complete.

This is pretty cool, but there's no word on how much the case will cost, if at all. And, the problem is that this means you can't have any other cases. This won't really see some true adoption until visa or mastercard partners with a manufacturer to get this hardware into the device itself, and not with an add on. Video and press release after the jump.

A Letter To Readers: Posts On The Circuit

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:46:46 +0000

Hello you.

Yes, you.

Mark here. I started The Circuit with the vision of helping folks who are genuinely interested in the tech world but just don't have time to keep up. I could have one RSS feed and one 15 minute show per week to help quench that thirst for tech news and help guys like me who had been suffering from 1500+ stories/day in their Google Reader. Well, so far so good. We have a steady readership, and viewership on the show is great. Interactions with the fans are great, and I'm feeling great.

There's just one thing.

Well, it occurred to me that maybe traditional writing style isn't what someone who just needs the facts needs. They need just the facts. So, starting with the next post, We'll be reformulating the structure of each posts, boiling it down to just what you need to know, and why this is important, in a bulleted list. The last thing folks with too little time on their hands needs is the opinion of yet another blogger front and center. This will serve as an easily digestible chunk of information that, if you have time, you're welcome to click through to the source and read more if you're still interested. Of course, there will still be some opinion scattered throughout, but I want to ensure that readers are getting what we promise them. For now, a simple RSS feed to keep you up to date on what you need to know in the tech world, and a 15 minute weekly tech news digest that enhances that experience.

I also plan on bringing this quick and digestible format to the show. I think it'll help keep me on track, and will help you get the most out of what we offer.

I really hope that this benefits readers and brings more readers to the site. I appreciate every last one of you, so please let me know what you think in the comments.

Thank you so much for reading and watching.

HTC Strikes Back At Apple With A Suit Of Their Own

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:04:41 +0000

Earlier today, HTC filed a countersuit against Apple calming that they were innovators way before Apple was in respect to mobile devices. They cite their Windows Mobile devices from all the way back in 2002, and other devices in 2007. Then they even go so far as to demand that Apple "halt the importation and sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States". HTC also posted a video on YouTube that seems like it was created specifically for this case. Check it out along with the press release after the jump.

iPhone HD Leaked...Again....This Time With Moar A4!

Mark Burstiner — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:14:01 +0000

Wow, I don't know what's going on at Apple, but they just can't seem to get a grip on their prototypes. I woke up this morning to news that a group in Vietnam has gotten their hands on another iPhone prototype. Not only did they get to handle it, but they tore it down further than Gizmodo was able to, and confirmed it is indeed running Apple's new A4 processor also found in the iPad. It's also missing the bottom screws suggesting it's a newer prototype. Check out the jump for the video hands on.