Distro Issue 60: Infinitec’s rebirth gets Kickstarted in the Dubai desert

Posted on 05/10/2012 by Billy Steele

Another week has come to a close and that signals the arrival of a brand spanking new issue of our weekly e-magazine. This time out, Darren Murph makes the trek to the United Arab Emirates to chat with Ahmad Zahran about how crowd sourcing has jumpstarted his company, Infinitec, for a second time. We also pay a visit to to the Paris Auto Show to take a gander at the latest in transportation tech, while Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite and the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G get the full review treatment. "Eyes-on" tackles a suitcase full of sound, "Weekly Stat" offers a look at data consumption amongst Android users and NVIDIA's Nick Stam tells all in the Q&A. Grab a spot in your favorite reading chair because the latest issue is just a few clicks away.

Distro Issue 60 PDF
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Distro Issue 60: Infinitec's rebirth gets Kickstarted in the Dubai desert originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The extremes of technology customer service: how common sense and empathy create unmatched loyalty

Posted on 24/09/2012 by Darren Murph

Allow me to explain how two discussions started off in very similar ways, and ended... shall we say, differently. This is me, attempting to muster any sort of pleasantness in my voice at some ungodly hour of the morning on a Google Voice connection from Dubai back to the US:

"Hey! I'm having to cut a trip short due to an emergency back home. I actually purchased a trip protection plan when I checked out online -- would it be possible to provide a refund for this flight now that I need to cancel it?"

From here, I was told that this was too vague. That I would need medical proof of an injury or illness, and that if it were a pre-existing condition -- something like reoccurring cancer -- that simply wouldn't do. Oh, and if it's a home emergency, you'll need proof from your home insurance company that your abode is "uninhabitable."

"So... I'm basically hosed here? This trip protection plan doesn't really protect very much, does it?"

"... Do you want to file the claim?"

"No. That's okay. Thanks for your time."

It doesn't have to be this way.

Continue reading The extremes of technology customer service: how common sense and empathy create unmatched loyalty

Filed under: Misc

The extremes of technology customer service: how common sense and empathy create unmatched loyalty originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infinitec updates Pocket TV to 1GB RAM, settles on final design and reaffirms October shipments

Posted on 18/06/2012 by Darren Murph

It's another wondrous success story from within the walls of Kickstarter, but honestly, meeting its funding goal was just the start for Infinitec. The outfit's second product, the Pocket TV, is well on its way to becoming a commercialized reality, but backers will be pleased to know that a few changes are being made in order to address some of the most frequently voiced concerns. For starters, the company's doubling the included RAM from 512MB to 1GB. We asked its founders why it'd make such a change, and were told that the boost in memory would enable "snappier performance" throughout, and ensure that it'll handle "the next versions of Android" when updates become available. Wise move. Contrary to the belief of many, such a decision requires more than a simple tweak on a purchase order; Infinitec will be redesigning the final product to look like the item pictured above, and it's bringing on staff in order to adhere to its original shipment month of October. Hungry for even more? There's a minty fresh hands-on video just after the break.

Continue reading Infinitec updates Pocket TV to 1GB RAM, settles on final design and reaffirms October shipments

Infinitec updates Pocket TV to 1GB RAM, settles on final design and reaffirms October shipments originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infinitec Pocket TV

Posted on 09/06/2012 by Johan

Infinitec Pocket TV

The Pocket TV is a tiny dongle that connects to the HDMI port of any regular TV and converts it into a Smart TV. Powered by the Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS, the device enables you to download apps from the Google Play Store, connect with your friends on Facebook, play games, or surf the web on your TV. You can also attach a webcam to do Skype video calls. Watch the video after the jump to get more details.

[Kickstarter]

Infinitec returns with Android 4.0-based HDMI dongle, Kickstarts the Pocket TV

Posted on 30/05/2012 by Darren Murph

Remember Infinitec? Tricky question, no? The company came to us at CES 2010 with a product that had big -- nay, huge -- aspirations. It was a simple USB stick that promised to enable ad hoc streaming, claiming to bring "infinite storage" to PC users. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly seamless in operation, and the company's been radio silent ever since. Until today. The Dubai-based outfit is officially getting back in the consumer technology game starting right now, and as it seems that all the cool kids are doing these days, it's going the Kickstarter route in lieu of more conventional capital raising.

The new product is an Android-based HDMI dongle -- not entirely unlike a few others we've seen -- which is being dubbed Pocket TV. Just as Tim Cook stated last night at D10, the TV industry is an interesting one, and it's obvious that people want something different than they have today. Plug this guy into your television, and you'll be able to Skype from the big screen, show PowerPoint presentations without a laptop connection and tap into files you've got hosted on Dropbox (or any other cloud-based Android app). Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is onboard, and it'll ship with a gyro-equipped keyboard remote that allows control via one's hand motions. Thinking of giving these guys another shot? Hit that source link below and put your money ($99 or more) where your mouse is.

Gallery: Infinitec Pocket TV Android 4.0-based HDMI dongle