So it’s true, we’re living in an age where people would shamelessly line up for certain electronics and luxurious fashion items. Why? Just because they can. As such, some swanky outlets — namely Christian Dior , Prada , Giorgio Armani , Dolce Gabbana , and Versace — have attempted to exploit our gadget lust by offering self-branded phones at extortionate prices. In the eyes of every-day consumers, there’s really not much appeal in these soulless devices except for the logo and some extra bling, but apparently these two factors alone are enough to make some aficionados drool a river. On the other hand, Puma — a less luxurious but naturally more accessible fashion brand — has decided to do more than just slapping an OS skin onto its aptly-named Puma Phone . Priced at a comparably affordable
Continue reading …
Remember that prototype Wii tablet tennis controller that was reviewed (and adored) recently? You know — the one that had no official maker and no official release date? Turns out that very device is made by Shinobii Technologies, and the outfit is finally coming clean with a bona fide version that’s suitable for public release. The TT Champion Bat is said to be a true 1:1 replica of an actual table tennis paddle in both size and weight, and the electronics required to interact with the Wii console are all integrated; in other words, this is your Wiimote when playing a tennis or ping pong title. There’s also a rechargeable battery within to keep things humming along, and best of all, it’ll soon be available online and at traditional video game retailers throughout the EU and North America for $69.99. Hello, stocking stuffer. Gallery: Shinobii Technologies TT Champion Bat for Wii Continue reading Shinobii’s table tennis bat for Wii hitting shelves soon for $70 Shinobii’s table tennis bat for Wii hitting shelves soon for $70 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Advent Vega tablet won’t come with Android Market, might get it as part of Gingerbread update (video)
October 17, 2010 No Comment
Lack of Google’s official app store has been a thorn in the side of would-be Android tablet makers for a good long while, and it looks like the Tegra 2-powered Advent Vega will be no exception when it hits the high street tomorrow . Electricpig took the
Continue reading …Motorola asks court to invalidate Apple patents, preempt another lawsuit
October 17, 2010 No CommentThe smartphone intellectual property wars are seriously heating up, as Motorola sided with HTC this week in an effort to cover its own rear. Remember those twenty patents Apple aimed at the Taiwanese OEM? Motorola says they’re no good, and is trying to get them thrown out of court — an important tactic, because if the patents do hold water and are successfully used against HTC, Apple might turn around and sue Motorola with them too. That’s because there’s more at stake here than OEM phones, but Android as a whole , and as such other manufacturers that implement Android might potentially be targets as well. Oh, and don’t think this is Motorola’s first salvo in the arena, either — it’s also suing Apple outright to get the point across, and is similarly being sued by Microsoft for smartphone patents of its own. We’re just two guns shy of a Mexican standoff, folks. Motorola asks court to invalidate Apple patents, preempt another lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Canon’s 35x SX30 superzoomer reviewed: dazzling specs don’t trump sub-par performance
October 17, 2010 No Comment
The more things change, the more they stay the same, and though Canon’s PowerShot superzoom line has gone from SX20 up to SX30 , the new model has received a review that’s strikingly similar to that applied to last year’s model . On the SX20 they liked the focal range but hated the noisy image quality, and such is the case on the SX30 IS. This year it has a whopping 35x focal range, going from 24mm all the way up to 840mm and adding “very effective” IS to boot. The problem is double-trouble on the image quality front: noisy shots anywhere north of ISO 400, and chromatic aberrations that add a little too much Technicolor delight on contrasty shots. Ultimately it sounds like a hugely flexible and capable shooter, but only for those who aren’t too picky about quality — and who don’t mind the $429 MSRP. Canon’s 35x SX30 superzoomer reviewed: dazzling specs don’t trump sub-par performance originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …DivX TV launched on LG Blu-ray players, mixes up the internet-to-TV wars a bit more
October 17, 2010 No Comment
We’ve already lost count of all the internet TV platforms that launched this fall, but that hasn’t stopped DivX (even after the company was recently purchased ) from throwing its hat into the ring by officially launching as a streaming internet video front end on several LG Blu-ray players. Available in the latest BD.8.31.317.C firmware update for the BD550/BD570/BD590 line, DivX TV lets users browse internet shows (including The Engadget Show, Revision3 and others — full list and a quick introduction video follow after the break) and create customized channels of the content they want to watch. We’ll wait and see if DivX TV pops up on any other hardware, but at least LG owners can check off yet another source of videos after Netflix, VUDU, CinemaNow, YouTube and of course, Blu-ray discs. [Thanks, Nigel] Continue reading DivX TV launched on LG Blu-ray players, mixes up the internet-to-TV wars a bit more DivX TV launched on LG Blu-ray players, mixes up the internet-to-TV wars a bit more originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Peek experiences permanent outage for older devices, vows to replace with free Peek 9
October 17, 2010 No Comment
Thinking of upgrading your Peek or Peek Pronto to a shiny new Peek 9 ? You may no longer have a choice — following an epic fail when migrating to a new network provider, loads of older devices were reportedly fried. Normally consumer outrage would run rampant at this news, but Peek CEO Amol Sarva has a plan — he’s offering brand-new Peek 9s to existing customers, free of charge. It’s not clear what will happen to the older units at this point, but a Peek customer service rep says that while fried QWERTY candybars are no more, the unscathed Peeks might possibly be turned back on. “We are currently waiting on T-Mobile to decide our fate,” the rep wrote, “There is still a CHANCE that the sky is not falling and older devices will continue to work.” In the meantime, Sarva has a rather difficult instruction for affected customers looking to get in on the deal: “Just check your email.” [Thanks, standingup] Peek experiences permanent outage for older devices, vows to replace with free Peek 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …WD Live TV Hub media streamer / NAS leaks out of Best Buy with gigabit ethernet, 1TB hard drive
October 17, 2010 No Comment
Western Digital’s got a few different media streamers to its name, but the only one with sizable internal storage was the pared-down Elements Play . No more, because the AVS Forums have stumbled upon a feature-packed alternative — the WD TV Live Hub. Purchased at a Best Buy before the blue shirts realized their mistake, the slim new set-top comes with 1TB of storage, 1080p playback over HDMI 1.4, component and composite video out, optical S/PDIF, and all the internet connectivity you’d expect (including Netflix, Blockbuster, Pandora, YouTube and Facebook) over speedy gigabit ethernet. We don’t know how robust the network-attached-storage functionality is, but the lucky owner of this box says it serves up iTunes and DLNA and can function as a network share, just like the My Book Live . Not too shabby for $229, eh? Find pics of the interface and a list of supported formats at our source link. [Thanks, Arjun] WD Live TV Hub media streamer / NAS leaks out of Best Buy with gigabit ethernet, 1TB hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Netflix on PS3 ready to download on some consoles, service starts Oct. 18th
October 16, 2010 No Comment
You can’t really use it for anything for two more days, as Netflix will tell you “this product is not currently available in your location,” but if you turn on your PlayStation 3, you might notice the disc-less, 1080p and 5.1 surround sound version of the instant movie streaming service is already available to download. The above install screen popped up on our console without even requiring a trip to the PlayStation Store, which suggests that 1.) Sony has decided that this is a big deal and 2.) should an evil force ever wrest control from the Japanese manufacturer, they’d have some pretty rad propaganda pushing power. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Netflix on PS3 ready to download on some consoles, service starts Oct. 18th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …News Corp pulls Hulu from Cablevision customers, escalating carriage dispute
October 16, 2010 No Comment
If you were thinking that you’d just watch your favorite Fox shows on Hulu until Cablevision and News Corp worked out their differences , then think again. Not only can you not watch Fox on Cablevision’s cable service at the moment, but if you get your internet from said company, you can’t watch Fox content on Hulu either. This isn’t too terribly surprising considering the networks see Hulu as a supplemental service to their traditional avenues, but that doesn’t make cord cutters who don’t even subscribe to cable feel any better. The good news is that these disputes don’t tend to last long — they usually never amount to an interruption in service — so you shouldn’t miss too many of your favorite shows before Cablevision gives in and pays Fox $1 per subscriber (vs $0) like the other providers have. News Corp pulls Hulu from Cablevision customers, escalating carriage dispute originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …