Microsoft Store to expand retail presence by 2014, makes shopping for a PC redundant
July 15, 2011 No Comment
Microsoft really wants to hang with the cool kids at the mall. Or, at least park its retail derriere next to the likes of Apple’s sleek boutiques — to the tally of 86 stores by 2014. We know most of you are scratching your heads thinking, “Microsoft store? Don’t you mean Best Buy?” Aye, but we don’t. The MS-branded outfits started cropping up in 2009 and with 11 locations already dotting our map, COO Kevin Turner hopes to plant some more Windows flags in California, Florida and most of the northeast. Comments regarding the Ballmer-led company’s retail expansion came during the 2011 Worldwide Partner Conference and centered mostly on the benefits of customer feedback. It sure is nice to see the former market monopolist catering to us plebes, but we’re more interested in the D-list stars and awkward dancing destined to accompany opening ceremonies. Microsoft Store to expand retail presence by 2014, makes shopping for a PC redundant originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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File this one in the unconfirmed-but-hopeful file, as Variety has it on good authority that Netflix could be making its first foray into European waters as early as Q1 2012. After taking Latin America by storm (and subsequently storming the wallets of plain ‘ole Americans), the company is purportedly lining up Spain and the United Kingdom for its next trick. Unnamed sources at “leading European film distributors” have confirmed that representatives from the company were looking to “put roots down” in both of those nations as soon as next year, and while Netflix itself is refusing to comment, it’s certainly a tale that’s easy to believe. ‘Course, breaking into the UK market won’t be as easy as it has been in other nations — Lovefilm already has a firm grip on the local rental market, but as your favorite capitalist always says, there’s never not room for increased competition. We’ll keep you posted. [Thanks, Eric] Nexflix coming to Spain and the UK next year? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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I have the unfortunate distinction of being what people disgustedly refer to as a “smoker.” Personally, I prefer tobacco inhalation enthusiast — but idiot works just as well. For more than half of the time I’ve been breathing under my own power, I’ve felt the need to periodically interrupt the life-giving flow of oxygen with a delicious, but cancer-causing mix of carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar. Sure there are gums and patches and even pills that can supposedly help you kick the nasty habit but, I’m a twenty-first century man, and I need a twenty-first century solution . Enter the electronic cigarette . These “smokeless” nicotine delivery devices aren’t exactly new, but we figured it was about time we put one through its paces and for me to try (yet again) to quit smoking. So, I grabbed a “pack” of the newest offering from British company E-Lites and spent a couple of weeks giving the latest trend in smoking cessation technology a go. Gallery: E-Lites Electronic Cigarettes Continue reading E-Lite electronic cigarette review: no one ever said healthy was delicious E-Lite electronic cigarette review: no one ever said healthy was delicious originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already gotten our grubby little mitts on it , and it looks like soon enough you too will be able to wrap your QWERTY-loving digits around a Torch 2 . It looks like the display-centric BlackBerry just slid its way through the FCC, sporting 850MHz and 1900MHz GSM bands, indicating this particular model (listed as RDM71UW) is destined for AT&T. Obviously, even if this is in fact the Torch 2, an FCC filing is not exactly a confirmed release date — so don’t start lining up outside your local AT&T outlet just yet. BlackBerry Torch 2 slides through the FCC, bound for AT&T? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Big news for Big Red -eyed fans — the Droid 3′s finally made its dual-core, 3G surfin’ ways official at the carrier’s retail outlets. You can pick this QWERTY slider up now for $199 on a two-year contract, or just go whole-hog and pay $459 with no strings attached. It’s not the operator’s top of the line offering , nor is it the increasingly mythical Bionic , but it should satisfy your Android needs. Click the source to order the latest in the Droid’s lineage. Droid 3 on sale now at Verizon Wireless originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We hope you’re ready for a heaping helping of Apple speculation, because Reuters is serving up a nice big slice of rumor pie today. According to the ever-present “source with knowledge of the matter,” Taiwanese chipmaker, TSMC is gearing up to supply Apple with its next generation mobile processors. According to the apparently credible anonymous source, TSMC has already begun trial manufacturing on the chips and “has got all the authorization and details ready.” As you may already know, Apple’s current supplier of its A5 CPU is Samsung, and relations between the two have been rocky (at least in court ). This round of speculation also comes just one year after TSMC began construction on its new $9.3 billion foundry, and teamed up with ARM — the brains behind the A5. Of course all parties have declined to comment, which lands this report squarely in the grapevine for now, but we’ll keep you posted if it winds its way into reality. Apple considering TSMC mobile chips? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …EAFT’s MagicTile Marathon tablet gets priced, opens up the floodgates of Froyo nostalgia
July 15, 2011 No Comment
Hey, remember 2010? Lady Gaga was all over the radio and all the kids were crazy excited about the upcoming Deathly Hallows movie. And then there was Froyo — it was never designed to be a tablet OS, but manufacturers defiantly went against Google’s wishes. EAFT is carrying that torch with the MagicTile Marathon, a 10 inch tablet doesn’t look too bad from a hardware perspective, with a Tegra 2 chip, 3G, 1080p video, and an HDMI port. The whole Android 2.2 thing makes the tablet seem downright archaic, however. Interested parties can pick the tablet for Rs. 26,999 (around $607) at launch and Rs. 29,990 (around $675) later. We hear it’s great for watching your favorite Charlie Sheen episodes of Two and a Half Men . EAFT’s MagicTile Marathon tablet gets priced, opens up the floodgates of Froyo nostalgia originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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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 . Permalink
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Last thing we heard about the old TH40/D involved Fujitsu pushing back the sliding tablet’s late-June release date. It’s mid-July now, and things have been mostly quiet surrounding the 10-inch tablet’s keyboard-packing goodness. The Windows 7 device, which debuted back in May , is now scheduled for a July 22nd release in its native Japan, according to new reports. Once that date rolls around,
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The HTC Desire family used to be close-knit, but then the Gingerbread update came along and gave preferential treatment to the Desire HD. Harmony may soon be restored though, because a number of Desire Z owners in Germany (and at least one in Hungary) have just received their OTA Android 2.3.3 updates, and the rest of Europe shouldn’t be too far behind. At some point, the original Desire will also be allowed back at the Gingerbread table after all manner of divisive head-games — possibly as soon as August in some regions . We’re going to re-stock our fridge and put the oven on in anticipation. [Thanks, Lukas and Zsolt] HTC Desire Z Gingerbread update rolls out in the land of the Bratwurst originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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