Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

The quality of a mobile phone’s display is arguably the most important factor to consider when you establish a relationship with a handset. It’s inescapable, really. Whether you’re playing a rousing game of Robot Unicorn Attack or (regrettably) drunk-dialing an ex, it’s the one interface element that you’re consistently interacting with. It’s your window to the world and your canvas for creation, and if it’s lousy, it’s going to negatively influence everything you see and do. Today, we’re delving into the world of mobile displays, where we’re aiming to entertain and edify, and hopefully save you from making regrettable decisions — when it comes to purchasing new phones, anyway.

In this edition of Primed, we’ll be examining the different qualities and underlying technologies of several displays, starting with the ubiquitous TFT-LCD and moving through the nascent realm of glasses-free 3D and beyond. We’ll also be addressing the importance of resolution and pixel density. Finally, we’ll be scoping out a handful of upcoming technologies — while some are thoroughly intriguing, others are just plain wacky. Go ahead… buy the ticket, take the ride, and join us after the break. It’s Primed time.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: all mobile displays are not created equal

Engadget Primed: all mobile displays are not created equal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

Staring at your smartphone, you realize that there’s something missing. It does everything you want it to — very well, we might add — but what hole is left to fill? We’ll help you out with this one: you want bragging rights. There has to be a way to face your friends with confidence, right? All you need is a little nudge in the right direction, and in this edition of Engadget Primed, we’ll give you that much-needed shove by explaining benchmarks.

Perhaps you’ve seen us talk about benchmarks in our product reviews. We’ll typically use them to gauge the relative performance of various devices, but discussing a Linpack score doesn’t mean much without going deeper into what it actually means. What aspects of performance do these benchmarks measure, and what techniques do they use? How much can we rely on them when making purchasing decisions? Read on after the break for the full scoop.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: Using benchmarks

Engadget Primed: Using benchmarks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

The world of wireless is dragging us into the 21st century kicking and screaming. Our treatise on NFC was a great sneak peek into how our future will play out over the next five years, but we’re also seeing other types of suave new tricks coming out as short-range wireless technology creeps closer to the mainstream. Wireless is the crux of convenience that will keep us calm enough to make our way through this speed-demon culture. It didn’t take long for our quest to obtain simpler and faster everything to become an obsession, and it shows no signs of stopping; on the contrary, it’s only speeding up exponentially at a rate even manufacturers have a hard time keeping up with.

Wireless charging is making some serious headway in public mindshare. Once confined to toothbrushes and other simple household items, it’s now a handy means of powering phones (HP’s Touchstone, for example) and media players, and it’ll soon be ready to charge up our notebooks and cameras at our command. Are we sure this is the future, or will this just be a passing fad? Why should it matter? Read on after the break to get the air-conditioned answers to those burning questions.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: how wireless and inductive charging works

Engadget Primed: how wireless and inductive charging works originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The introduction of Google Wallet felt a little too good to be true, didn’t it? It’s magical, like the tech equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In reality, the tech behind mobile payments has been around since 2003 on a much smaller scale using near-field communications, more commonly known as NFC. The idea behind Wallet (amongst other services, like ISIS) is contactless pay — using your phone as a credit card — and is just one of the many ways NFC can be useful in our everyday lives. In fact, we’re only scraping the surface of what’s theoretically possible.

Google is definitely not the first company to dabble in NFC, but it appears to be poised and ready to push the tech’s adoption forward at a rapid pace with the advent of Wallet and Offers. Until now the coals have been hot; but if a fire’s going to start, someone monolithic has to throw a few newspapers in as kindling — and Google volunteered. But what good is NFC if it’s just an acronym that causes our eyes to glaze over? Is El Goog the only instigator? After the break we’ll focus on what NFC is capable of, and why we want it on our phones as soon as yesterday.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?

Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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