Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7: your Xbox isn’t in your phone yet, but we’re getting there
October 11, 2010 No Comment
We just spent some serious, and we mean serious time with Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7 . Just like your Xbox, this is sort of an amalgamation of “the place you go to play games” and “the place you go to ping and taunt your friends who also play games.” Unfortunately, it seems there’s a bit of a disconnect between phone-based scores and records and Xbox achievements — they all add up to the same gamerscore, but you can’t easily pull up your most recent Halo exploits to show off on your mobile, for instance. Luckily, that still puts Microsoft in a better position than any other mobile games platform (until Apple can get Game Center to stop sucking, at least). Being able to message and challenge friends all from the same “hub” where you keep your games is great, and being able to view your avatar and the avatars of friends (you can even play dress-up with your own) is nice gravy on top. Of course, what really matters is the games, right? Luckily, Microsoft has a pretty strong launch lineup, with some of the regulars like EA’s The Sims 3 and Need for Speed , along with some exclusives like Rocket Riot and the hotly anticipated The Harvest . The good news? Games look and play great, just like you might expect from an iPhone or Android level capacitive touchscreen platform, with The Harvest as an obvious and very important standout in complexity and polish. The bad news? Everything takes forever to load (our rough estimate is about three minutes to start playing in The Harvest ), and when you don’t have any multitasking, that’s a really bad thing. Check out some of the Xbox Live hub and capabilities after the break, along with some games, and make up your own mind. Continue reading Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7: your Xbox isn’t in your phone yet, but we’re getting there Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7: your Xbox isn’t in your phone yet, but we’re getting there originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Windows Phone 7 . We came, we saw, we took lots and lots of photos. Today, Microsoft unleashed its global domination plans on the world, and we wanted to give readers some insight into what happens now, what happens next, and what the more distant future holds for Redmond’s smartphone play. As we saw today, the WP7 push is going to happen in multiple countries (more than 30), on multiple carriers (more than 60), and involve lots and lots of hardware. Ten devices to start — all announced today — and a slew of others likely to follow. Overall, the first approach of Windows Phone 7 into the marketplace looks strong. Microsoft has built a surprisingly solid new OS (which we previewed in-depth back in July ), has a strong set of carrier relationships in place, and is introducing hardware that if not revolutionary, is certainly competitive. So, where are the holes in the plan right now? Continue reading Windows Phone 7 launch guide Windows Phone 7 launch guide originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Murata’s fatigue sensor demoed, coming soon to mobiles and handhelds near you
October 11, 2010 No Comment
Need further confirmation that an IV drip of 5-Hour Energy is what your body really needs? Look no further than Murata’s newfangled fatigue sensor. Demonstrated at CEATEC in front of thousands of jetlagged Americans, Europeans, Easter Islanders and Samoans, this compact device is built by “integrating a photoplethysmographic sensor, which measures a pulse and a blood oxygen saturation level, and electrodes that measure electrocardiogram (ECG).” We’re told that the unit measures a fatigue degree (reported on a 1 to 100 scale) based on the “pulse, blood oxygen saturation level and electrocardiogram measured by the sensing parts,” and while we’re guessing the prototype will have to shrink significantly before it happens, the company seems focused on cramming this thing into cellphones and portable game consoles of the future.You know — so Nintendo actually can know when you need to lay down the gaming and step outside for a bit. Murata’s fatigue sensor demoed, coming soon to mobiles and handhelds near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The PlayStation Move is out, and gamers everywhere are throwing away their DualShock controllers, spirits carried aloft by the liberating breeze of motion gaming. Okay not really, but if more traditional games had Move support baked-in that might be the case. 256-player MAG has recently been given a taste, and level designer Ben Jones is taking a moment to show off how motion gaming looks in this uber shooter. As you can see, the baton acts for aiming, turning, and shanking, while a nunchuck (or second controller) handles the moving duties. We’re not entirely convinced of the accuracy playing in this mode, especially given how the video focuses almost entirely on close-range, full-auto carnage, but Mr. Jones says he believes this to be a “lateral transition from keyboard and mouse?” So, PC gamers, you buying it? Continue reading MAG dev demonstrates Move support, it only does point and spray (video) MAG dev demonstrates Move support, it only does point and spray (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already seen some of Nemoptic’s so-called Binem displays on their own, but the company’s just made things considerably more interesting by combing the low-power, black-and-white display with a full color OLED. That would function as a dual-mode display (a la Pixel Qi ), giving you the ability to use the reflective Binem component when you’re outdoors or just looking to save power, and switch to the OLED as needed. What’s more, the Binem display can actually retain an image even when the power is off, which could let you spruce up your e-reader with a favorite image as a persistent wallpaper, for instance. Unfortunately, there’s no word as to when the display might make make it into an actual product, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break. Continue reading Nemoptic shows off OLED screen with dual-mode Binem display Nemoptic shows off OLED screen with dual-mode Binem display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It ain’t “on sale,” per se, but it’s there. And being there means a lot. ASUS’ Eee PC 1015PN — special due to its reliance on both a dual-core 1.5GHz Atom N550 and NVIDIA’s next generation Ion 2 GPU solution — is finally, almost ready to make its shipping debut in America. Priced at $429.99, it offers quite the wallop in terms of performance (for a 10.1-inch netbook, anyway), and if we had to guess, we’d say it’ll be headed out in plenty of time for Santa’s last-minute runs. Keep that source link bookmarked if you’re looking to buy one right away. ASUS Eee PC 1015PN makes Amazon debut, brings along Ion 2 and Atom N550 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Having trouble keeping track of all the new Windows Phone 7 handsets today? We don’t blame you — even we had trouble remembering all the minor differences between the similarly specced devices. To end our frustration, we’ve compiled a big chart that lists out the carriers and specs for all 10 devices (with a couple extra MIA) to make our lives a tad easier — head on passthe break if you need the peace of mind. Continue reading Windows Phone 7 handsets: spec comparison Windows Phone 7 handsets: spec comparison originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …France’s SFR jumps gun, announces Palm Pre 2: 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, webOS 2.0
October 11, 2010 No Comment
It’s unclear if the tiny, little shot posted on French carrier SFR’s Club SFR pour Palm blog is in fact the rumored upcoming Pre 2 or just an old Pre shot, but let’s put it this way: considering that we can’t readily tell the difference, it better be an old one. At any rate, the sparse details in the blog post line up with everything we’re expecting so far, namely that the new model will use a 1GHz processor — presumably a TI OMAP3630 — and will sport a full half gig of RAM on board. Between those two spec bumps, we’d fully expect the refreshed webOS 2.0 to scream… but we won’t really know for sure until Palm gives us something to work with. In the meantime, SFR, thanks for the teaser. France’s SFR jumps gun, announces Palm Pre 2: 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, webOS 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It completed its first flight with a crew on board back in July , and Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise (a.k.a. SpaceShipTwo ) has now crossed what’s unquestionably its biggest hurdle to date: the first solo glide flight. That happened early Sunday morning at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, where the VSS Enterprise took off attached to the mothership and then separated at an altitude of 45,000 feet, after which it was freely piloted by Pete Siebold and co-pilot Mike Alsbury for a full eleven minutes before safely landing on the runway (another first for the spaceship). Oh yeah, there’s a video — head on past the break to check it out (along with the official press release). Continue reading Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise completes first solo glide flight Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise completes first solo glide flight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Vertu Constellation Quest ‘coming soon,’ finally puts QWERTY in your Hermès handbag
October 11, 2010 No Comment
What’s been missing from Vertu’s lineup so far? Okay, yes, a touchscreen model — touch
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