Saturday, July 24, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 24/07/2010



Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at 'audiophiles'
Onkyo, known in these parts for everything from digiframes to a rather wild selection of PCs, has announced a set of compact audio systems aimed at the audiophile (though to be fair, Onkyo's definition of "audiophile" might be different than our own). For the well-heeled consumer, the CS-1045DAB (pictured after the break) sports 70W (x2) output, three analog and both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs, a front-mounted USB port, VLSC Vector Linear Shaping Circuit tech, and a 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC. Score! Available at the end of August for £600 ($925) or bundled with a pair of D-145 speakers for £700 ($1,080). If your budget's a little tighter (and we can't blame you if it is) the CS-545UK (pictured above) is a cute little guy that features a digital amp, 2 x 50W output, MP3 compatible, tray-loaded CD player (remember those?), both an iPod dock and USB input, video out (presumably composite) and sub woofer out. Ships with a pair of D-045 2-way bass reflex speakers for £349 ($537) or without for £249. Look for it in September, kids!




Continue reading Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at 'audiophiles'
Home audio shocker! Onkyo aims new compact systems at 'audiophiles' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceTrusted Reviews  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Blackbox i10 noise cancelling earbuds tap into iPod / iPhone dock connector for power, pleasure
Oh, sure -- you've got at least 893.1 options (at last count, anyway) when it comes to noise cancelling headphones for your iDevice, but do any of those plug directly into the dock connector instead of requiring a separate battery? Exactly. That's the claim to fame for Blackbox's i10, a new set of earbuds that rely on power from your iPod or iPhone in order to achieve that active noise cancelling action that the young bucks are so crazy about these days. According to the company, these will filter out 92 percent of background noise using Phitek Systems' ANR technology, and the inline remote makes it easy to adjust volume and the like. They're available today for £79.99 ($123) over in the UK, but only heaven knows when they'll mosey over to North America.

[Thanks, Sharmee]Continue reading Blackbox i10 noise cancelling earbuds tap into iPod / iPhone dock connector for power, pleasure
Permalink   |  sourceAmazon  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Samsung dispatching free Galaxy S handsets to iPhone 4 whiners on Twitter?
Well this is one lucky Tiffany here, but she's not alone. Wired UK was first to report that Samsung's been quietly dishing out free Galaxy S handsets (the European flavor) to a few lucky British Twitter users. How so? Oh, four of them just made a fuss about their iPhone 4s, and the fifth guy needed help to choose between the Desire, iPhone 4 and Galaxy S. Before you all start tweeting your way to a free Android phone, though, it looks like the Korean giant's only picking certain influencers for some cheap publicity -- turns out our Tiffany here works in Digital Marketing for Condé Nast, which is coincidentally Wired's parent company. Tut tut tut. The other tweeples all appear to be similarly involved in marketing or publishing, with the exception of one student.

As if it hasn't already rubbed enough salt into Apple's wound, Samsung UK's also running new Galaxy S ads that take an indirect shot at the iPhone 4's antenna controversy with a clever bit of typography -- you can see the dirty work after the break. Very nice, Sammy, but you better be careful playing with fire here, as we've found it pretty easy to death grip Galaxy S phones like the Captivate into losing a fair bit of signal.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading Samsung dispatching free Galaxy S handsets to iPhone 4 whiners on Twitter?
Samsung dispatching free Galaxy S handsets to iPhone 4 whiners on Twitter? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Wired UK  |  source@samsungukmobile (Twitter) (1), (2), (3), (4)  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Verizon posts $198m net loss, picks up healthy amount of new wireless subs
Verizon Communications, the majority shareholder of Verizon Wireless, just tossed out its Q2 2010 earnings, and unlike the majority of the other big boys we've seen, this company actually lost money over the past few months. All told, the mega-corp posted a $198m net loss compared to a $1.48b net profit this time last year, but if you were to exclude "special charges" for a workforce reduction, Verizon as a whole would've seen net profits of $0.58 per share. When focusing strictly on mobile, Verizon Wireless managed to pick up 1.4 million net customer additions, which is 200,000 shy of the 1.6 million that AT&T recently picked up. What's crazy is that one carrier has the iPhone while the other doesn't, and it doesn't take the imagination of Peter Pan to figure out how those numbers would shift if Apple's smartphone somehow picked up a CDMA radio and headed over to Big Red. Other fun facts about VZW's second quarter include a 3.4 percent uptick in total revenues year-over-year, a 5.2 percent increase in service revenues and a staggering 28.3 percent boost in data revenues. With all that cash flowing in, is there really a need for these newfangled caps? Consumers say "no," but Sir Capitalism says "yes."

Update: We've been pinged by Verizon and given some clarification to the awful mess known as filing quarterly reports in accordance with GAAP with varying shares of ownership. We also learned that Verizon Wireless added 665,000 new net wireless customers under contract in the prior quarter, whereas AT&T added 496,000 contract customers. It's pretty easy to make these numbers say whatever you want them to, apparently.

Continue reading Verizon posts $198m net loss, picks up healthy amount of new wireless subs
Verizon posts $198m net loss, picks up healthy amount of new wireless subs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink DailyFinance  |  sourceVerizon  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Zephyr solar powered UAV lands after a fortnight in the air (whatever that means)
With all the excitement surrounding the solar powered UAV's record-breaking flights, we would be remiss if we didn't mention that QinetiQ's Zephyr has finally landed in an airfield in Arizona, 14 days and 24 minutes after take-off. This quadruples the previous unofficial world record for unmanned flight (which it set itself in 2008). This is a dramatic proof-of-concept, having flown longer without refueling than any other airplane. We'd like to imagine that this technology would be used primarily for delivering toys to children in developing nations, but something tells us that will have to wait until the military gets its hands on it. PR after the break.
Continue reading Zephyr solar powered UAV lands after a fortnight in the air (whatever that means)
Zephyr solar powered UAV lands after a fortnight in the air (whatever that means) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Nokia Kinetic concept revealed in prototype form
Impressed by Jeremy Innes-Hopkins' Nokia Kinetic concept the other day? Then take a good look at the image above. That's the actual prototype of the device, which unfortunately doesn't power on (or have anything to power on), but does look remarkably like the previous renders we've seen, and gives us a far better idea of the scale of the device. In case you missed it, the real hook of the concept is an electromagnet in the phone's base that allows it to stand up on cue, and be flipped down to dismiss an action (like an alarm or a video call). We also now know that Innes-Hopkins worked on the project at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London under the tutelage of former Nokia Senior Designer Silas Grant, who was responsible for many of Nokia's premium phones like the 8800 Scirocco. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look.

Update: Just to be clear. This is not an actual Nokia concept, but a project done by Innes-Hopkins for his final year at university -- so don't get your hopes up about it ever going into production.
Gallery: Nokia Kinetic prototype
Nokia Kinetic concept revealed in prototype form originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceJeremy Innes-Hopkins  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
ASUS Eee PC 1018P and 1015PE review
You'd think after running into ASUS's next generation Eee PC 1018P and 1015PE over five months ago at CeBIT, our excitement may have waned for the stylish netbooks. Oh, but it's actually the opposite, and when the brand new netbooks arrived last week, we grabbed the X-Acto knife (safely, of course) and eagerly unboxed them to see if the aluminum clad little laptops were as svelte as we'd remembered them. Sure, the $350 1018P and 1015PE have standard netbook internals (an Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 Starter), but without a doubt they're some of the best quality netbooks ASUS has made in quite a while. Hit that read more link for an in-depth look at these two, and to see if they're all we had hoped for and more.
Gallery: ASUS Eee PC 1018P review
Gallery: ASUS Eee PC 1015PE review
Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1018P and 1015PE review
ASUS Eee PC 1018P and 1015PE review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Gaikai game streaming service evades also-ran status with investments from Intel and Limelight
Since we're still reeling from the fact that OnLive actually works, it seems a bit premature to be looking for competition in the game streaming space. Still, the browser-based Gaikai service is coming on fast, with a planned September launch and EA on board for those mega-hit titles the kids are playing these days. For a bit of added reassurance, Gaikai just announced it's getting investments from Intel Capital and Limelight Networks, whose products it just happens to be using. Gaikai's servers will have 6-core Intel processors and Intel SSD drives inside, and Limelight is already on tap to make the whole distribution part work. We can't say we're happy to see yet another platform war in the gaming space, especially after it looked like Steam was going to let us all live in perfect harmony in computer land, but the allure of playing high-end games instantly from a browser is hard to deny.
Permalink   |  sourceJoystiq  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup
OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup
It's safe to say that General Motors is struggling for relevancy these days and, while the Chevy Volt could be a huge step into the modern era for the company, that still leaves every other car looking a bit -- traditional, technology-wise. OnStar is going to help, expanding its Volt-specific controls to the entire 2011 lineup of GM cars. When we saw OnStar's Volt app earlier this year we loved how it not only let you control recharging but also unlock the doors and monitor system specs from anywhere. While monitoring recharging status obviously won't be much good if you're rocking a good 'ol ICE vehicle, you will still be able to start the car remotely, unlock doors, and also monitor stats like tire pressure and oil level from your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android handset, as demonstrated in a video after the break. Yes, you'll need to be an OnStar subscriber to use the app, with rates currently starting at a somewhat steep $18.95 per month. Now, if only there were an app that could help us to afford a new ZR1.Continue reading OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup
OnStar expands smartphone control over entire 2011 GM lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceAutoblog  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
$35 tablet from India looks to be worth every paisa (video)
$35 tablet from India looks to be worth every paisa (video)
We've seen some janky tablets over the years, and to be honest this latest one out of India hardly looks posh. But, for the price, it could be pretty amazing: $35. That's what India's Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, is saying this device will cost at retail. It's a sort of tablet and, while we don't know full specs, is said to have 2GB of RAM memory, run Linux, be able to connect to the internet over WiFi, open PDFs, and even play YouTube videos, meaning you can watch Shahrukh Khan tribute videos wherever you want. Confusingly, two separate devices were shown and we're not sure which is the final design (if, indeed, either is), but the Indian government plans to subsidize their sale to students such that they'll cost only $20. The goal is to have them selling for as little as $10 in the future. Exciting? Yes, but let's just say we've had our hearts broken by supposed $10 Indian laptops before. Video of the thing in action after the break.

Update: As a few eagle-eyed commenters pointed out, if you look closely at around the 20 second mark of the video you'll spot the familiar Android notification bar at the top of one of these prototypes. Also, it's a little unclear whether that 2GB figure is storage or RAM.
Continue reading $35 tablet from India looks to be worth every paisa (video)
$35 tablet from India looks to be worth every paisa (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceSlashgear  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Driverless vans set off on intercontinental trek from Italy to China (video)
You might not have expected the future to look like your granddad's groovy camper van, but take a closer look here and you'll find that this is indeed nothing like your forefather's people carrier. The VisLab team from the University of Parma have taken a fleet of Piaggio Porter Electric vehicles, strapped them with an array of cameras, lasers and other sensors, and topped them off with solar panels to keep the electronics powered. Oh, and lest we forgot to mention: the vans are (mostly) autonomous. VIAC (or VisLab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge) is the grand name given to their big demonstration: an 8,000-mile, 3-month tour that will ultimately find them arriving in Shanghai, China, having set off from Milan this Tuesday. You can follow the day-by-day development on the blog below, though we're still being told that practical driverless road cars are a measure of decades, not years, away.Continue reading Driverless vans set off on intercontinental trek from Italy to China (video)
Driverless vans set off on intercontinental trek from Italy to China (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink CNET  |  sourceVisLab  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now
24diggsdiggWell, there's nothing like masking bad news with good news, right Apple? Just moments after quietly announcing that the white iPhone 4 is now scheduled to ship sometime between tomorrow and your New Year's Eve party, the company has also fired up its iPhone 4 Case Program. Just as Jobs promised last week at an emergency press event, this program will ensure that anyone who purchases an iPhone 4 prior to September 30th will be able to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or select third-party case from the company at no charge. 'Course, you need to be located in a country or territory that Apple actually ships to, but if that's all squared away, feel free to hit up the App Store to download the iPhone 4 Case Program app. Once there, you'll need to sign into your iTunes Store account, select your Bumper or case and wait oh-so-patiently (read: "3 to 5 weeks"). Better hurry -- wouldn't want the servers to get overloaded, now would we?

Oh, and if you happened to have already purchased a Bumper, the company should be hitting your credit card with a full refund (including any applicable taxes and shipping) momentarily. As for the case / Bumper choices? Every single option is available in any color you like... so long as it's black, of course. There's a black Apple Bumper option, an Incase Snap Case, Belkin Shield Micra, Griffin Motif, Griffin Reveal, Speck Fitted and Speck PixelSkin HD, but again, don't go in hoping to select your favorite hue. Yeah, you're free to bicker about free things -- we won't judge.

Update: If you're one of those wise guys who purchased an iPhone 4 right away just to sell it, you can forget about getting a free case for the handset you no longer own. Apple has arranged this so that only one case can be ordered per iPhone 4, so even if you ordered two under your account name, you'll need two phones to place both of those orders. Check out the error message below if you still don't believe us.
Gallery: Apple iPhone 4 Case Program app
Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceApple  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won't ship until 'later this year'
16diggsdiggMan, there's about a zero percent chance that Steve Jobs and company are happy about this. Just days after shocking the market with higher-than-expected profits and revenues, Apple is having to grit its teeth once more with yet another iPhone 4 problem. This time, the elusive white iPhone -- yeah, that one that we toyed with at the WWDC announcement keynote -- is being delayed again. The new due date? Sometime "later this year." Here's the full, and unsurprisingly brief, announcement:
"Statement by Apple on White iPhone 4

White models of Apple's new iPhone(R) 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected."
Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won't ship until 'later this year' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
IBM's zEnterprise architecture makes mainframes cool again, also efficient (video)
IBM's zEnterprise architecture makes mainframes cool again, also efficientThere's a good chance you think mainframes are about as cool as pocket protectors, your parents on Facebook, and COBOL... the latter of which, of course, is largely executed on mainframes. If so, stand still while IBM blows the doors (and the dust) off of your mainframe misconceptions with its new zEnterprise 196, offering 96 5.2GHz cores, 3TB of RAM, and hot swappable I/O drawers for when you need to change pants in a hurry. All this is said to boost performance by 60 percent compared to its predecessor, the z10, while also reducing energy consumption by a claimed 80 percent -- though that could be compared to people sitting in tanning booths performing calculations with abacuses for all we know. However, you can drop consumption a further 12 percent by opting for the water cooling system, nice if your AC unit is already struggling. IBM will start shipping these behemoths sometime in the last quarter of this year and didn't mention pre-orders, so get ready to rent the biggest truck you can find and camp out in Armonk if you want yours on release day.Continue reading IBM's zEnterprise architecture makes mainframes cool again, also efficient (video)
IBM's zEnterprise architecture makes mainframes cool again, also efficient (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink NY Times  |  sourceIBM  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Microsoft becomes official ARM licensee, could an MS microprocessor be next?
Microsoft becomes official ARM licensee for greater glory in the mobile spaceARM processors are so hot right now, especially in the mobile space, where they power many of the greatest smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices coming down the turnpike. Microsoft is apparently looking to merge in on that action, becoming an official ARM licensee. It's unclear exactly what MS will be doing with its new found technical rights, but General Manager KD Hallman said "With closer access to the ARM technology we will be able to enhance our research and development activities for ARM-based products." This likely means Microsoft will be better optimizing Windows Embedded and Windows Phone for the processor architecture, but also opens the door for Ballmer & Co. to create their own magical microprocessor and, ultimately, use it to rule the world with an iron fist. Terms of the agreement were not given, but hopefully nobody in Redmond had to lose any appendages to seal the deal.Continue reading Microsoft becomes official ARM licensee, could an MS microprocessor be next?
Microsoft becomes official ARM licensee, could an MS microprocessor be next? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Samsung and Toshiba double-down on 400Mbps DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory standard
Samsung and Toshiba double-down on 400Mbps DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory standardOur Peter Cetera album collection isn't exactly getting any larger, yet despite the progress of technology every time we get a new smartphone pulling over all those soothing hits never seems to get any faster. Even a fool can see laggy NAND flash memory is the culprit, and Samsung and Toshiba have a fix with a new DDR NAND flash standard. It offers 400Mbps transfer rates thanks to what they're calling "toggle DDR 2.0," similar to the tech in Samsung's latest SSD, effectively boiling down to a 30nm asynchronous design that's three times quicker than current DDR 1.0 NAND chips. Both companies are opening this standard for others, and hoping that their work will be the inspiration for faster devices and SSDs worldwide.Continue reading Samsung and Toshiba double-down on 400Mbps DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory standard
Samsung and Toshiba double-down on 400Mbps DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory standard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
iMac refresh is imminent, according to reseller sources
The latest word from behind Apple-authorized cashiers is that Cupertino has stopped shipping out fresh stock of its entry-level 21-inch iMac. The Core 2 Duo-equipped machines were already looking long in the tooth in this Core i-something era, and so predictably the latest speculation centers around the idea of Apple taking its full iMac range into Core i3, i5 and i7 territory. Nobody really knows any of the specs for the moment, but resellers are apparently being advised to sell through what stock they have and to "keep inventories lean" for the next few weeks. Considering Apple's last all-in-one overhaul coincided with the introduction of the Magic Mouse, we're starting to suspect the company might have another iMac plus touch input device combo coming -- potentially in the very near future.
iMac refresh is imminent, according to reseller sources originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Electronista  |  sourceAppleInsider  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
MIT researchers develop autonomous glider that can land on a wire
The latest research at MIT is not only paving the way to more agile autonomous aircraft, but it's a reminder of how much catching up we have to do to match the complexity and skill of the common bird. In a project that's been ongoing since 2005, Rick Cory and Russ Tedrake have developed a mathematical model of how a bird lands on a wire and emulated the move with an autonomous glider. To control the glider, they developed a system that allows the craft to keep an eye on itself and the position of the wire using external cameras, sending control data if adjustments have to be made. As it is, UAVs are generally limited to the same set of maneuvers that piloted aircraft have, but the researchers don't feel that this has to be the case. For their next trick they plan to take the show outside, as well as develop vehicles with flapping wings. This is all great, but we're holding out for a device that pitches (and wisecracks) as well as Woody Woodpecker.
Continue reading MIT researchers develop autonomous glider that can land on a wire
MIT researchers develop autonomous glider that can land on a wire originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Microsoft wants employees to code Windows Phone 7 apps 'in their spare time'
You had to know those freebie WP7 devices for Microsoft employees would come with a few strings attached. We imagined the Redmond brain trust was aiming for some word-of-mouth popularization along with a boost in team morale and proactivity, but as it turns out, things are a little more codified than that. TechFlash has what it claims to be the internal memo announcing the free Windows Phone 7 handsets -- from mobile chief Andy Lees, who hasn't been having the best of times lately -- which sets out Redmond's expectation that employees should "evangelize" the product at every opportunity, while also setting aside some spare time before launch to develop apps (but, you know, only if they really want to). The idea, clearly, is to harness Microsoft's massive talent pool to try and get a headstart on populating the Marketplace with compelling content; we're just not too sure the "spare time" bit is going to go over quite as well as the "free smartphone" part. Either way, you'll find the full email from Andy at the source.

[Thanks, Mint]
Microsoft wants employees to code Windows Phone 7 apps 'in their spare time' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink MobileTechWorld  |  sourceTechFlash  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
WD tosses out high-fashion 500GB My Passport Essential drives, props to the LBC
Sure, 85.3 percent of your best buds are kickin' it in Cozumel right now, but a few bright minds at California State University, Long Beach have been toiling around the clock in those dreaded summer sessions in order to help create the five-pack you see pictured here. In order to give its already colorful My Passport Essential line a long overdue refresh, Western Digital has now added a handful of limited edition 500GB models with rather stylish exteriors. Boom Box, Black Hole, Cityscape, Fuchsia Leaf and Wave are the prints to choose from, and all five can be snapped up for a window of time at Best Buy or via WD directly. As for specs? You know the drill -- USB 2.0 powered, 256-bit hardware encryption and a two-year warranty. Take your pick for $119.99, dude.Continue reading WD tosses out high-fashion 500GB My Passport Essential drives, props to the LBC
WD tosses out high-fashion 500GB My Passport Essential drives, props to the LBC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceWestern Digital  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Apple starts refunding Bumper purchases automagically
Automatic refunds, or so the email says. We've been on the receiving end of a deluge of tips this morning pointing out that Apple has begun funneling cash back into its users' pockets -- a most unusual event, to be sure -- to live up to its retroactive promise of free Bumpers for all (who buy their iPhone 4 before September 30). If the particular wording is to be trusted, that should mean that even those who haven't yet bothered to put in a claim, but did purchase a Bumper, will find themselves enriched in due course. Apple estimates this bandaid solution to its antenna problems will cost $175 million in real cash money, but we suspect the biggest price to pay will be in the form of pride and reputation.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple starts refunding Bumper purchases automagically originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Physical and digital distribution sales for games nearly equal, GameStop CEO thinks people like boxes
There are two ways to look at physical media. Some see it as needless clutter; useless relics taking up shelf space and collecting the airborne remnants of your dearly departed skin cells. Others, however, see rows and rows of boxes and books with a sense of pride -- proof that they have incredibly good taste when it comes to spending free time. According to the NPD, those two parties are rapidly becoming equal when it comes to gaming, with 21.3 million "full-game" PC titles downloaded (legally) in 2009 and 23.5 million boxed copies sold. That's awfully close, and ignores all the PSN and XBLA titles that are currently making our console hard drives cry for mercy. Should brick and mortar software stores be nervous? Not according to GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines, whose franchises are decidedly ceramic and paste-based: "The world won't be all digital tomorrow... In this business, users still want physical content." And he's right, you know. We'd say it'll be more like 18 - 24 months.
Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceThe Street, Joystiq  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
New Xbox 360 250GB Limited Edition Halo: Reach bundle revealed
The Halo series is no stranger to special edition Xbox 360 hardware, so it should come as no surprise that the latest entry, Halo: Reach, is also privy to such treatment. What makes it special, however, is that it's the first special edition based on the new model -- 250GB HDD, built-in 802.11n WiFi, a silver (presumably matte, based on the picture) finish, and custom, Halo-inspired sounds. The $399 price tag also nets you two special edition wireless controllers and, naturally, a copy of the game itself. Look for this September 14th, and really, if you're not into glossy black (and we feel ya, brother), this might be in your best interest to pick up.
Gallery: New Xbox 360 250GB Limited Edition Halo:Reach bundle revealed
New Xbox 360 250GB Limited Edition Halo: Reach bundle revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceMajor Nelson, Xbox Press  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Ask Engadget: best desktop replacement laptop?
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 question is coming to us from Cameron, who'd rather buy the most powerful laptop the world has to offer than subject himself to a "desktop PC." If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"I'm looking for a desktop replacement laptop. It needs to have at least a Core i3 processor, 3GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive. Of course, more is always better, but I'm not looking to spend a fortune. Recommendations?"
We're going to suggest looking Clevo's way if you'd rather not pay the Alienware label premium, but we've got a feeling some folks in comments may know a few more underground avenues for securing a well-built beast-of-a-laptop. Help a brother out, won't you?
Ask Engadget: best desktop replacement laptop? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Panasonic gearing up to reveal consumer-level 3D camcorder?
You won't be coloring us shocked if this plays out exactly as rumored, but word on the street has it that Panasonic will be busting out a consumer-level 3D camcorder as early as next week. 'Course, this is a company that already has a built-to-order 3D camcorder available to those with just over 20 large in need of a new home, and with the 3D push happening at a breakneck pace, it was just a matter of time before one of the big boys came along and served up an option for the Average Joe / Jane. Specifics on the device -- which will be "shown at a Tokyo news conference scheduled for July 28" -- are few and far between, but we're hearing that it'll be "about the same size as a conventional consumer-use camcorder," will integrate a pair of lenses (like so) in the front and will ring up at "far less" than professional models.
Panasonic gearing up to reveal consumer-level 3D camcorder? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  sourcePCWorld  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
مرسلة بواسطة Abdalrhman Albayyat
في 6:30 PM
التسميات: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)