GDrive test page pops up in Google search, inches closer to an actual product

The GDrive leaks and rumors have started up again in earnest, really for the first time since 2007 . The service seemed to destined for the dustbin when Docs started accepting any type of file, but in September hints started dropping that Drive may be resurrected. The latest interesting, if not entirely telling development, is a link to a “test page for Platypus (GDrive)” that pops up when you Google “Writely,” the online word processor that eventually became Google Docs. Those with more robust memories may remember that Platypus was the codename attached to Google’s cloud storage solution back when it was originally being dogfooded. Clicking on the link takes you Google Docs, just as any Writely.com URL would, but that does line up nicely with what we’ve heard about Drive being a rebranded Docs — potentially with a file syncing component. Hopefully the Mountain View crew will take the covers off this bad boy soon — we can’t take much more of this mystery and intrigue stuff. GDrive test page pops up in Google search, inches closer to an actual product originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:05:00 EDT.

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GDrive test page pops up in Google search, inches closer to an actual product

GM’s got a brand new electric motor and it’ll give you the key (video)

Cars with electric motors running the show are few and far between, which is something we need to change — that’s why General Motors is finishing up a new plant in White Marsh, Maryland. The facility will be cooking up magnet and induction electrical motors to power GM’s next generation of EVs. The first off the line will be the 85 kW (114hp) electric engine that’ll sit inside the hood of 2013′s dinky Chevy Spark EV . Peek after the break and you’ll be rewarded with a cornucopia (that’s the technical term for four, right?) of videos and a press release about the company’s plans for electrical domination. [Thanks, Nicole] Continue reading GM’s got a brand new electric motor and it’ll give you the key (video) GM’s got a brand new electric motor and it’ll give you the key (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Facebook testing ‘Trusted Friends’ feature, the password unlock we hope you never have to use

Here’s a situation: you create a Facebook account. You fall in love with said account. You’re on it all day, every single day. And then, your computer explodes. You go to login on a new machine, and you realize that your minty fresh browser has no recollection of your Facebook password. At this point, you’re probably pondering the point of taking another breath. Evidently, Facebook understands your dilemma, and in the coming weeks, it’ll be testing out a new password recovery system for those who can’t / won’t take advantage of the existing methods. Christened “Trusted Friends,” the feature will allow a user to select between three and five pals that they’re confident will help out in dire times

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Facebook testing ‘Trusted Friends’ feature, the password unlock we hope you never have to use

Ask Engadget: best streaming music solution?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Katie, who is totally down with the stream. The radio stream. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “Rdio, Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody — there are way too many streaming music services out there begging for my money. Which is the one I should spring for?

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Ask Engadget: best streaming music solution?

Engadget Podcast 262 – 10.28.2011

Nokia World: it’s like Disney World with a funny accent and with higher pixel density. And we’ve got the whole scoop, with help of the mobi-omniscient Myriam Joire. The Engadget Podcast: dial it up! Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater Guest: Myriam Joire Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Try It Out 01:30 – The Nokia World 2011 keynote liveblog! 02:00 – Nokia announces the Lumia 800, the ‘first real Windows Phone’ (video) 02:30 – Nokia Lumia 800 vs. Nokia N9: the tale of the tape 05:00 – Nokia Lumia 800 unboxed: we shed some light on what’s inside 14:40 – Nokia’s Lumia 710 Windows Phone announced alongside the 800, hitting select markets by end of year 23:30 – Nokia Asha 200, Asha 300 and Asha 303 hands-on (video) 32:00 – Nokia’s kinetic future: flexible screens and a twisted interface (video) 36:30 – Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video) 41:05 – Richard Kerris moves from HP to Nokia, becomes Global Head of Developer Relations 42:00 – HP will keep PC division, hope alive 45:50 – Mythical snow-white N9 spotted at Nokia World 50:05 – Sony to buy out Ericsson’s stake in joint venture, call it quits after ten years 50:39 – Motorola Atrix 2 review 53:02 – Porsche Design P’9981 BlackBerry provides a long-awaited design jolt, compensates for a lot 55:05 – Amazon focusing on ‘lifetime’ Kindle revenue, anticipating record device sales for Q4 01:01:30 – HTC Rhyme review 01:03:00 – Listener questions Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.

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Engadget Podcast 262 – 10.28.2011

White Galaxy Note appears, developers wanted to pen third-party apps for its stylus

We’ve already inspected every inch of Samsung’s big bad phone-tablet hybrid, but a soup

Angry Birds to ride Russian rockets into space, follow iPads bound for bored cosmonauts

Slingshots and unbridled rage might be enough to launch Rovio’s furious fowl across the battlefield, but they’ll need some outside help if they hope to break free of Earth’s atmosphere — it’s time to call the cosmonauts. Two upcoming Russian space launches are scheduled to ferry a pair of iPads and a plush Angry Birds toy to the International Space Station. The twin tablets will fly on an unmanned resupply vehicle early next week, and the irritated avian is playing the part of a jocular gravity indicator in a manned mission next month — part of a russian tradition of hanging a toy by a string to signal when the vessel has escaped the Earth’s gravity. NASA told collectSPACE that the iPads are only slated for recreational purposes, but mentioned that various tablets were being evaluated for future use. The plush bird? It’s coming home; cosmonaut Shkaplerov’s five year old daughter can’t be expected to give up her toys forever, can she? Filed under: Tablet PCs Angry Birds to ride Russian rockets into space, follow iPads bound for bored cosmonauts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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Angry Birds to ride Russian rockets into space, follow iPads bound for bored cosmonauts

RIM releases BBM SDK for WebWorks, injects some chatting flavor into your apps

This year’s BlackBerry DevCon might have come and gone with nary a mention of BBM’s flagrant promiscuity , but RIM did give us some other BBM news. The Canuck company’s BBM Social Platform SDK is now up for general availability after recently hitting version 1.0. The release extends its venerable messaging protocol to WebWorks developers, allowing their wares to initiate chats and incorporate BBM statuses, avatars and personal messages from the service. Also on the docket is “application-to-application background communication,” which we presume enables a smorgasbord of behind the scenes cross-application chattiness. Finally, Crackberry developers will be able to start file transfers over the protocol, including virally sharing apps between users. Sounds like the ‘Berry of the future is gonna be much more reliant upon Waterloo’s messaging platform, so let’s just hope there aren’t any more outages . RIM releases BBM SDK for WebWorks, injects some chatting flavor into your apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:38:00 EDT.

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RIM releases BBM SDK for WebWorks, injects some chatting flavor into your apps

T-Mobile Springboard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally get official launch dates

Clutching at its chest and panting as it nears the finish line, T-Mobile has finally announced the release date for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on its not-quite-4G network. You can write November 2nd in your diaries as you struggle to remember which century it was that you decided to wait for the as yet unpriced magenta version of the tablet. T-Mobile’s Springboard will be arriving five days later, on November 7th. The Huawei Mediapad -with-shiner-shoes packs a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 5 megapixels in the rear, 1.3 up front and has a crunchy Honeycomb center. Inexplicably, the company still won’t ‘fess up about pricing for this guy either, so we’ll just repeat what we’ve heard a hundred times before — it’ll be under $200 on contract. [Thanks, Cliff] T-Mobile Springboard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally get official launch dates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:01:00 EDT.

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T-Mobile Springboard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally get official launch dates

Want folders on your Windows Phone? There may soon be a way (video)

Take that , live tiles. The idea of having folders on a Windows Phone Start menu has long been a dream that may soon come true. Successfully demonstrated in the above video by WindowsPhoneHacker , these folders look just like live tiles, but pressing them will instead take you into a customized menu full of whatever apps you want. Of course, the project’s still in early stages and has a ways to go before it’s ready for primetime, but it’s supposed to be released sometime soon. Go ahead, click those heels together three times and make a wish — just make sure your device runs Mango and is developer-unlocked first. Want folders on your Windows Phone? There may soon be a way (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:23:00 EDT.

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Want folders on your Windows Phone? There may soon be a way (video)

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