Engadget

Folks who download the coming nightly builds of CyanogenMod may notice something new to play with in their settings: an option to add an account for the popular Android ROM. Once users register and sign in on their device, they'll have access to a service that can pinpoint their handset's location on a map. When hardware is in danger of falling into the wrong hands, it can be wiped from the web using the profile it was assigned to. Hit the source links below for the dev team's announcement and to check for the latest release.

0 Comments

When we see a picture of the Notorious B.I.G., the hook from Hypnotize starts streaming in our heads. Imagine if you will, an app that analyzes your picture and creates a soundtrack suited to you. Mhoto does just that, and it can synthesize an appropriate tune for any digital photograph. Mhoto's magic comes courtesy of some patent pending technology that analyzes a picture's saturation, brightness and contrast levels and uses that information to create music tailored to fit the feel of the photo -- and the company's working on a way to integrate facial recognition into the mix to make mood based music, too. Users also can choose what musical genre they want the generated tunes to come from (Hip Hop, Rock, Pop, etc.). The best part is, the heavy lifting is done in Amazon's cloud, so Mhoto can work on any device with a data connection, even a featurephone.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

Don't feel blue if you've missed one of the first HTC One units in, well, blue when they started trickling out -- it's officially launching as a Best Buy exclusive on September 15th. What's more, the oceanic phone will be available on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. On-contract pricing details have yet to be revealed by the carriers, but its full retail price was pegged at $700 when it first showed up on our radar. We guess those who prefer cool blue to glamour red will find out soon enough when the phones pop up at the retailer's stores, its mobile shops and website.

0 Comments

Just over a month after its iOS debut, video support for "Play on Roku" is now available for the streaming box's Android app. You'll need a second gen or newer Roku running at least software version 5.1 to push hand-crafted video from your Google gizmo, and then it only works with "select" Ice Cream Sandwich or later devices. Which ones? The company's blog lists the Samsung Galaxy S III and S4, HTC One, Nexus 4 and 2012's Nexus 7 tablet. You have one of those, right?

0 Comments

Video producers that sell through Vimeo On Demand now have much more flexibility in marketing their wares. Starting today, Vimeo Pro members can offer both purchases and rentals at separate prices. They can also supply pre-orders and promo codes, while stat hounds will see more advanced viewership data, such as trailer play counts. It's up to content creators to use the new features, but we've already spotted at least a few titles that take advantage of the upgrades; head over to Vimeo if you'd like to give them a try.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

We've all heard of wireless charging before, but most solutions still require your phone to come in touch with a base station. Well, Cota is a technology that aims to power your mobile device completely wirelessly -- without any physical contact at all. Hatem Zeine, a physicist and CEO of Ossia Inc, demonstrated the technology on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt when he successfully charged his iPhone when plugged with a Cota prototype, seen above, while holding it several feet away from a charging station.

It all seems like voodoo, but the secret lies in sending a magnetic charge over the same 2.4GHz spectrum that WiFi and Bluetooth already use. If you're concerned about safety, Zeine assures us that only one watt of power is transmitted -- that's a third of what cell phones already transmit. Line of sight isn't required, and Zeine claims that one station can power multiple devices at once. Just like a WiFi hotspot, you can set it so that it only works with certain devices or simply open it up so that power is available to all Cota-enabled handsets within range, which is around 30 feet.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

Monday Night Football is back and there's a massive Texas A&M vs. Alabama college football game, but that's far from the only thing on TV this week. Star Trek Into Darkness highlights the Blu-ray releases but Trek fans beware: The Digital Bits warns Paramount has spread the extras as exclusives across retailers, meaning things like a commentary might not be on your version. We'd advise skipping it entirely until a proper release arrives with all the extras in tow.

One other show we're keeping an eye out for tonight is NBC's The Million Second Quiz. It's a 24/7 trivia show that ties in with mobile apps on Android and iOS to let viewers at home play along with the live broadcast and perhaps even get on the show. This week we also have the series finale for Burn Notice, season finale for The Newsroom, the premiere of Ricky Gervais' Derek on Netflix and the season premiere of Sons of Anarchy. Look after the break for our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

Sure, you've heard of virtualized computing environments before, but a start-up here at TechCrunch Disrupt called PPL Connect is a platform that virtualizes your phone's capabilities in real-time. That means you can make and receive calls and texts and access the photos and videos on your phone from any device with a web browser. It's kind of like AirDroid, only you don't need to have your phone with you or even have it turned on to make calls or receive texts once you've signed up. It's a platform agnostic solution for a fragmented mobile world.

The magic happens via a localized app on your phone and Amazon cloud service to dish out your data where you need it. That cloud component both serves as cloud storage for your data and as a back-end VoIP relay station for calls and texts. Currently, photos, videos, contacts, calls and texts are what's handled by the service, but the plan is to eventually fully replicate your phone's capabilities. For folks who are concerned about putting your digital life in the hands of PPL connect, all transmissions to and from its servers are encrypted. And, the company is currently devising a fully encrypted system whereby the data's only accessible with a single, user-owned key.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments