posted Feb 26th 2011 11:31AM 
We've known for some time that RIM is going all-in on NFC (isn't everyone?), but we didn't realize they were going retroactive, too. A NFC payment trial coming up involving RIM and Bank of America will allow selected testers to get an NFC-capable back for their Curve 8520 or 8530, Tour 9630, or Bold 9000, 9650, or 9700 -- in other words, most of the company's portrait QWERTY models from the last couple years. You'll also need an active Bank of America account, at which point you'll be able to tap your 'Berry on NFC terminals to get your pay on. The trial starts this spring; no word on when it might be open to everyone. [Thanks, Dylan]
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It doesn't move and it certainly doesn't transform, but we're still not sure we'd stand anywhere near this jagged metal contraption ripped right out of the silver screen. The giant Megatron tank replica from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen not only looks like it'd grind us up like so much beef beneath its spiky treads, it reportedly weighs five tons and stands eight feet tall. It's allegedly constructed entirely out of scrap metal by a designer known as "Steel Legend" -- a honorific that we imagine few will dare question now. If only it could take on junkyard Optimus Prime in a Beijing Battle Royale. More pics of the tank at our source links below! 
As you'd expect, developers have wasted no time in tearing apart the Mac OS X Lion preview, and in so doing they've allegedly discovered some intriguing things -- namely, support for the SSD-wiping TRIM command, and a series of high-DPI display modes which would allow for icons and UI elements with twice the graphical detail -- which could mean a PC-sized Retina Display. The former doesn't sound like the most exciting upgrade, but it's truly a boon for Mac users with solid state storage, as TRIM can greatly improve write speeds in compatible drives. As far as the improved pixel density rumors are concerned, it's not clear whether Apple's actually looking at doubling display resolutions in new computers (9to5Mac imagines a 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 2880 x 1800 screen) or whether Apple's simply moving to maintain icons that are precisely the same physical size across all its displays -- which would make fantastic sense for a touchscreen UI, by the way. 
Facebook phone rumors were swirling for quite awhile, then HTC answered a question that seemingly nobody asked by delivering unto the world a phone with a dedicated Facebook button... the ChaCha. In what can only be considered a stroke of luck for all of humanity, the Taiwanese handset maker has been granted the opportunity to rectify its naming gaffe courtesy of a trademark infringement suit brought by ChaCha Inc. That company trademarked its name and logo in 2007 for its text and voice internet search engine services and is (rightfully) displeased with the HTC's choice of names for its Facebook-focused handset. ChaCha doesn't want mobile users thinking that it's endorsed the phone, and given that the company's bread and butter is providing mobile search, such confusion seems likely. ChaCha is asking for money damages and a permanent injunction to prevent the phone from going to market with its name. That's just fine with us -- if only the courts could grant an injunction to remove that Facebook button. 
Considering nabbing a $99 OnLive Game System to connect your TV to the company's game streaming cloud? Here's another thought -- pre-order THQ's Homefront on OnLive instead for $50, and get a voucher for a free MicroConsole (and a free game) in the bargain. That's the deal OnLive announced the other day, which runs through March 14th, though the fine print says supplies are limited, shipping costs extra, and you won't actually receive the hardware until after the deal expires no matter when you pre-order the game. We're not sure what it says for OnLive's ongoing viability that the company finds itself having to give hardware away for less than half its worth, but we won't look a gift horse in the mouth! 
In the most recent of Xbox 360 hacks, a modder named Morris has crafted a PS3 controller out of none other than -- as ironic as this may seem -- a dead Xbox 360. That's right, somewhere out there, a PlayStation 3 has slain its mortal enemy, mercilessly gutted the internals and now has a modded Xbox as its eternal slave. The case contains all of the buttons you need to partake in a classic beat-'em-up -- a joystick, the four PlayStation buttons, R1 and R2. There's plenty more to gander at in the source link and enough in the way of detail and instruction to get started on your own arcade stick too. 
In search for feedback on its momentous decision to dump Symbian in favor of Windows Phone, Nokia has put up the above poll on its Conversations website canvassing opinions about what users anticipate most out of the new deal. There's no consensus choice, with the equivocation of reactions being underlined by the fact that the "Other" option was the modal response, however of the given categories, a UI refresh and Xbox-related gaming boons turned out to be most important. No surprises there, Symbian's touchscreen UI shortcomings are well known about while the Xbox tie-up has been one of Microsoft's big selling points for Windows Phone 7 since its start. We'd just ask Nokia to be quick about delivering on these things -- spending too long in anticipation mode won't be good for our health. 
We know, Archos already makes fairly cheap tablets, but believe it or not, the company's going after an even cheaper segment with its new Arnova 8 and 10. The two have been popping up all around the web -- they stopped by the FCC earlier this week and there was an early spec leak from a Russian site -- but now we're finally getting some real details and hands-on impressions courtesy of Charbax, who is quite possibly the biggest Archos fan in the world. The $199 10.1-inch Arnova 10, which we have to say looks a lot like the Archos 101, packs a 600MHz Rockchip RK2818 processor, resistive touchscreen, 8GB of storage, and Android 2.1 -- but before you gag, know that there should also be a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 Rockchip RK 2918 / capacitive touchscreen version coming in April. Meanwhile, the 8-inch Arnova 8 rings up at $150 with the same processor and resistive touchscreen, but only 4GB of storage. If the cut corners don't faze you and you're in the mood for a closer look, we suggest you hit the break for some Charbax video originals.
We've been hearing reports about Nexus S' Android 2.3.3 update adding a yellow tint to the screen and even washing out its colors, but according to Google's Ry Guy, said patch is indeed intended to tweak the display's color temperature. Here's the full quote from Google's support forum:
You won't be able to snap one up at your local GameStop for a full month, but the Nintendo 3DS had a solid launch in Japan today, reportedly liquidating nearly its entire initial shipment of 400,000 spiffy stereoscopic gaming handhelds by the end of the day. Some of those sales were to customers waiting in a few lines up to 2,000 persons long, but those lines were exceptions to the norm -- several publications note that very few stores actually had any lines to speak of, as most Japanese electronics retailers sold out when the 3DS went on pre-order over a month ago. Get a refresher on what to expect from the system here (and here) or read all about the surprisingly orderly Japanese launch at our source links. 
This as-of-yet-unnamed mini computer was fashioned as an implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients, but its creators envision a future where we're all crawling with the little buggers. Taking up just over one cubic millimeter of space, the thing stuffs a pressure sensor, memory, thin-film battery, solar cell, wireless radio, and low-power microprocessor all into one very small translucent container. The processor behind this little guy uses an "extreme" sleep mode to keep it napping at 15-minute intervals and sucking up 5.3 nanowatts while awake, and its battery runs off 10 hours of indoor light or one and a half hours of sun beams. Using the sensor to measure eye pressure and the radio to communicate with an external reader, the system will continuously track the progress of glaucoma, without those pesky contacts. Of course, the mad scientists behind it look forward to a day when the tiny device will do much more, with each of us toting hundreds of the computer implants all over our bodies -- looks like a bright future for cyborgdom. 
When it launched the Incredible S at MWC a couple of weeks ago, HTC promised the new 4-inch device would be quick to get a Gingerbread update and now it's giving us a definitive schedule for it by saying that Android 2.3 will be distributed to its new flagship phone by the end of Q2 2011. We're not sure four months of sitting by the window waiting for the OTA update to float in necessarily matches up to our definition of "quick," but there are much better news for owners of HTC's older devices. The Desire HD and Desire Z -- both released in September 2010 -- will also be leaping away from Froyo and up to Gingerbread and will be joined by the original Desire, which was announced way back at last year's MWC. That handset was essentially HTC's own-brand Nexus One, so we already knew it was capable of running Gingerbread, but it's still rare to see a device go through two significant Android updates (the Desire began life with Android 2.1). All these old Desires are placed on the same update schedule as the Incredible S, whereas the newly announced Desire S and Wildfire S will ship with Gingerbread preloaded. 
Samsung's been waffling on Google TV for quite some time -- prototypes aside -- and now Bloomberg thinks it might know the reason why. According to an anonymous source, Mountain View's been requiring that OEMs use Intel's CE4100 chip in their television products, and as any self-respecting chipmaker might be expected to do, Samsung declined. Now, with Google TV's efforts to break into the living room floundering, the search giant has allegedly lifted the restriction and allowed Samsung to use its own silicon, meaning we'll likely see Google TV running on a certain dual-core ARM in the months to come. Anything to save us from Smart TV, right? 
HTC just rolled in to set up for our San Francisco reader meetup tonight, and what's this? They brought a brand-new HTC Merge with them. No one's talking about what carrier this interesting Android slider is going to launch on yet, but that Verizon-red earpiece and search button aren't exactly coy. Apart from that, it's pretty much exactly the device we've seen leaked all over for months now -- a really nice landscape Android slider with a solid keyboard. More pics in the gallery, and a video after the break!
Having already taken our first feverish steps down the path of an automated home, we figured it was time to try and integrate the home entertainment system with the household lighting. Our goal coming into this review was to sit down on the sofa and hit a single button on an old, unused iPhone 3G to automatically dim the lights, fire up the 5.1 sound, flip on the media streamer, and ignite the projector. To accomplish this seemingly monumental task we installed a WiFi-enabled SQ Blaster in the TV cabinet, a puck-shaped IR blaster from Square Connect that communicates with MiOS home control gateways like Mi Casa Verde's Vera. So, did we succeed? Did we achieve the ultimate in home-owner nerdvana? You'd better believe it. Read on to find out how. 
If you've ever owned an IR blaster then you already know how finicky they can be to setup and use. Signals can be interrupted by passing bodies and transmitted commands will inexplicably disappear into the ether. But these are issues affecting all IR blasters and Square Connect has done its best to mitigate them by offering up a very flexible solution. One look at the SQ Blaster and you already know it's unique. 
Part of the appeal of the Square Connect control solution going into this review was its SQ Remote iOS app. A whopping $29.99 if purchased as a standalone remote control for the Mi Casa Verde Vera home automation server or free with the purchase of the SQ Blaster. And if you're a multiple iOS device family then you can copy your final SQ Remote configuration -- including all the automated macros and meticulously crafted button and panel layouts -- to each and every idevice in the house. An ideal solution for us since we have an iPhone 4 in the pocket and a previously unused iPhone 3G in a drawer. 
With the devices added, you're now ready to create the carousel "control pads" and populate each with the device you want to control. For our setup, we created just three control pads: "Home," is our Z-Wave command console for lights, socket adapters, and sensors; "Movie," includes all the controls for managing the projector, video streamer, lighting, and surround sound; and "TV" is used to primarily control the television and set-top box. Each pad can be further augmented with up to six slide-out panels arranged along the side for more logical control of your devices. In other words, you place the buttons you use most frequently on the main control pad with any extended functionality you might occasionally require placed within the side panels. At least that was the solution that worked best for us. Fortunately, Square Connect provides several preconfigured button layouts -- both generic and specific to the devices found in its database -- which can be automatically assigned to each device you won. You can also assign button controls one at a time and reassign and reposition the controls anytime you wish. When we say the software is flexible, we mean flexible. 
We were already annoying the family with our "whoa, watch this!" demonstrations of wireless television and lighting control within just a few minutes of unboxing the SQ Blaster hardware. Within two hours, we had built a rudimentary remote control giving us full control over our home's lighting and sensors in addition to the home entertainment console. In four hours, we had brute-forced a macro together that would automatically dim the lights and power on the home theater with a touch of a single button. On the second day everything was pretty much automated with macros, followed by a few weeks of subtle tweaks meant to optimize the command sequences, delays between commands, and signal repeat counts as we adapted the software to how we actually listen to music and watch TV and films. 
The Square Connect SQ Blaster coupled with the free SQ Remote iOS software has become an indispensable part of our home entertainment kit. However, it's not for everyone. Part of its particular appeal stems from the fact that it works so seamlessly with our existing Z-Wave home automation system built around the Mi Casa Verde Vera. As such, it fully integrates our lighting, power, and home theater controls through a highly customizable and easy to use iPhone or iPod touch remote control app. So easy to use that after just a few hours of trial and error we were able to achieve home automation nirvana: a single button press will now dim the lights and power on (or off) all the disparate devices that comprise our so-called home theater system. Better yet, the Square Connect solution replaced five existing remote controls with a single repurposed iPhone 3G rescued from the island of unused gadgets. Not bad for $200. 
By Tim Stevens 
Digging the 1080p LifeCam Studio but don't feel like spending $100? Or, maybe you don't need all those p's? Microsoft has, for you and you alone, announced the new LifeCam HD-3000. It tops out at 720p but retails for a more palatable $39.95. Also newly announced is a trio of mice, first and most exciting being the $19.95 Express Mouse (above) which, according to Microsoft, has both the looks and the moves. We're not really sure what that means, but it is kind of funky looking with the offset cord your choice of six colors ranging from "Hibiscus Red" to "Dahlia Pink." For those who'd rather stick with something less-flowery there's the Comfort Mouse 3000 for the same price, similar features in a design less likely to stand out in the conference room. Or, cough up another $10 for the $29.95 Comfort Mouse 6000, pictured below. It gives up ambidextrous pretenses in favor of a more form-fitting shape and five whole buttons. Can you handle that many buttons? Yeah, you totally can. 
Though it'd originally been pegged for the second quarter, it seems HTC's bumping that up a smidge with the launch of its new flagship -- the Incredible S -- in the UK this week. Pre-orders are going on as we speak with shipments promised for tomorrow, but there's a catch: rather than shipping with Gingerbread, the phones will come with Froyo to start with an upgrade to Gingerbread promised for the near future. Buyers, we've got a little homework for you: if you're feeling adventurous and in a warranty-voiding mood, try to figure out what's going on with those auto-rotating capacitive buttons, alright? 
Hey, look, at this point, we just want ourselves some good, old-fashioned copy and paste -- but we'll give Microsoft some credit for looking a year (or two, or ten) beyond that watermark at what could be coming down the pike for human-machine interaction -- and specifically, how phones could play a role. In a presentation and promotional video pulled together this week, Microsoft Research boss Craig Mundie shows how you could tilt your smartphone to control a bubbly, colorful look into your personal life on your desktop machine and how you could snap a photo and then drop the handset onto a Surface for instant transfer (perhaps a bit like HP's Touch to Share), among other gems. Of course, this is all pure research at this point -- it's any guess whether these comments could make the jump to production, and if so, when -- but it's fun to watch. Follow the break for video. 
That's right human beings -- it's happening again! The Engadget crew is getting together their best party outfits and shipping out west for another installment of our fabulous reader meetups. Our last event in NYC drew loads of people and was an all around blast, and the San Francisco installment is sure to be just as explosive (or maybe more? c'mon... show us what you've got). This time around we're partnering with Sprint, as well as Sony PlayStation, Motorola, HP, Roku, Samsung, VUDU, RIM, Sling, Sonos, HTC, Corning, Sphero, OnLive, Plantronics, Snapstick, and more to bring you a night of gadget geeking, delicious foodstuffs, and some awesome music (provided by none other than our podcast producer, Trent Wolbe). Also, a whole mess of the Engadget editors will be on hand to entertain and inform, so if you have any pressing questions -- jot them down! Oh, and don't forget to include the hashtag #EngadgetSF in your tweets! 
Above, just one of the many giveaways -- a special, limited edition Xoom in gold. Here's what Motorola has to say about it: The limited edition gold Motorola XOOM in a custom leather envelope case is being provided to an exclusive group of stars--the hosts and nominees for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director.
We can totally picture how this went down: AT&T appears to have made it not worth LetsTalk's time (or Wirefly's time) to sell its phones anymore, which means they're parting ways staring next month. LetsTalk -- wishing to end its AT&T relationship in the most spectacular fashion imaginable -- has elected to sell the Motorola Atrix 4G / Laptop Dock bundle for $250 on contract after rebates, essentially half of what you'll pay through AT&T directly (LetsTalk runs Walmart's wireless store portal, which we've linked). The fire sale might not fix some of the dock's flaws... but it certainly makes them a little less painful. 
Tired of using the default browser on your smart phone to browse Engadget? Got a thing for Firefox? Great, 'cause Mozilla just pushed out the fifth beta of Firefox 4 for mobile. You might be familiar with the on-the-go version of Mozilla's creation, but if not, here's your chance to grab the latest (and probably) the most stable build to date. In addition to the Android and Maemo version, the company has released a Fennec build for use on Windows, OS X and Linux.