GameStop details plans for Impulse and Spawn Labs, says it’s ‘becoming a technology company’
April 1, 2011 No Comment
Well, it looks like GameStop’s plans following its acquisition of Impulse and Spawn Labs may be even grander than we had suspected. At an investor conference today, GameStop said flat out that it is “becoming a technology company,” and that it does indeed plan to introduce a cloud-based gaming service similar to OnLive as a result of the Spawn Labs acquisition, while Impulse will be used to “compete fiercely” with Steam. But that’s just the start of things. According to the Dallas Morning News , GameStop also plans to expand the gaming service to a variety of mobile devices, and it’s apparently even entertaining the idea of a GameStop-branded tablet, saying that “if we feel like we could do a better job of making a tablet, we’ll do that.” Of course, some of that is still quite a ways off, but GameStop will be taking its first steps fairly soon — it’s already showed off a demo of how the service will be integrated into its website (see above, complete with a “try it now” option), and it plans to begin a public beta sometime this year before rolling out the full service early next year. GameStop details plans for Impulse and Spawn Labs, says it’s ‘becoming a technology company’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As you may be aware, Amazon does actually already make it easier for you to shop at places other than Amazon.com with its Amazon Payments service, and it now looks like it might even be thinking about expanding things to brick and mortar stores as well. More specifically, Bloomberg is reporting that Amazon is exploring a mobile payment service based on NFC technology, which would let you pay for items and receive things like loyalty points using nothing other than an NFC-equipped cellphone. Not surprisingly, Amazon is also said to be considering some other features that would send folks back to Amazon.com — Bloomberg gives the example of someone shopping for jeans in a retail store who can’t find the right size, and says that they could simply scan the jean’s tag to order a pair online. Details are otherwise a bit light, and the service is apparently still not quite a sure thing, although a person familiar with the matter says Amazon will decide whether to go forward with it or not “in the next three to five months.” Amazon said to be considering NFC-based mobile payment service originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple patent application reveals plans for external battery pack, spells further trouble for HyperMac
April 1, 2011 No Comment
Way back in September of last year, Apple filed a patent-infringement suit against HyperMac, the folks behind these external batteries . At the time, it looked like Apple was protecting its patented MagSafe power connector, but a newly released USPTO application for a “Power Adapter with Internal Battery” might reveal a more accurate view of the company’s litigious motivations. From the look of things, the outfit intends to make its mark on juicing solutions with what is basically a wall charger packing an internal battery. According to the patent filing, the contraption would include a processor for parceling energy to the host device as well as the adapter, and could also incorporate a supplemental energy source like a solar cell. Among other things, it would also communicate with the device being charged to allow users to monitor the juice stored in the extra battery. If the thing does end up making it to market, it looks like HyperMac could have a whole lot more trouble on its hands than a little patent-infringement suit . Apple patent application reveals plans for external battery pack, spells further trouble for HyperMac originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Gadgets come in all shapes and sizes, but it’s safe to say this is a big’un. Sure, it isn’t exactly portable in the traditional sense, and no 24 month contract is going to make it fit into our budget, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a place in your life. It’s the Roadster Sport, the latest addition to the Tesla family and released to the world last summer. Version 2.5 is the fastest yet on the road, leaping from zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds yet still getting a rated 245 miles of range. Of course, we all know that rated range doesn’t necessarily equate to real-world range, and real-world car performance doesn’t always live up to what you read in the magazines, either. Indeed in our testing we weren’t able to make it the full 245 miles that Tesla says you can in a roadster, nor did we come close to approaching this thing’s 125mph top speed. But, after spending plenty of hours wedged inside the cockpit of this $128,500 sporty EV we did walk away mighty impressed, not only with how it drove but in how it sounded. Read on, and you might just be too. Gallery: Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport Continue reading Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport review Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In non-Soviet Russia… presidents tend to receive some pretty swanky high-tech gifts . Dmitry Medvedev, leader of the good people of Russia and one of the few men to successfully rock denims with a suit jacket, has been bestowed with a fresh new iPad 2 and his facial expression seems to suggest he was immediately irradiated with blasts of magic, fairy dust, and the smiles of innocent children from across the world. We just hope he hasn’t seen the crummy camera yet, he is something of a tablet photography connoisseur . Darren: “Why, lookie there! I can see Alaska from my iPad 2!” Joe: “I can’t believe I’m playing chess with Gary Kasparov!” Jose: “I wonder if Barack also likes to play Risk on his iPad.” Josh F.: “See? The cat is talking but he’s saying ‘has’ instead of ‘have!’” Don: “Kickin’ in the front seat, sittin’ in the back seat, gotta make my mind up, which seat can I take?” Tim: “Look, it already has Words with Comrades installed!” Vlad: “And this has push notifications for when Mr. Putin has instructions for me, yes?” Richard Lawler: “10,000 apps and it’s still cheaper than buying the New Jersey Nets.” Myriam: “And so if I tap here, it opens the door to the shark tank… and over here are the laser controls. Cool, eh?” Caption Contest: Russian prez is impressed by iPad 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We wouldn’t count on its retail business going away anytime soon, but it looks like GameStop is now also betting heavily on a digitally-distributed future. To that end, the company has just announced that it’s acquiring both Spawn Labs and Steam-competitor Impulse, the latter of which it’s buying out from parent company Stardock Systems. While Spawn Labs may not be the most familiar name, you might remember its HD-720 set-top box — essentially a Slingbox for your game consoles — which we first checked out way back in 2009 and finally started shipping in early 2010. It sounds like GameStop may have some even grander ambitions for the technology than that, however, as the company’s press release says that it’s now testing a “new consumer interface” that will give users “immediate access to a wide selection of high-definition video games on demand on any Internet-enabled device.” As our pals at Joystiq note, that sounds an awful lot like OnLive -esque cloud-based gaming service, but GameStop isn’t offering many other hints at the moment. Continue reading GameStop snaps up Spawn Labs, Impulse game distribution platform GameStop snaps up Spawn Labs, Impulse game distribution platform originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s no shortage of devices that aim to replace your always-missing remote control with your always-present smartphone, and the Peel is one of the more recent and unique entries into the space. A software / hardware combination consisting of a “Peel Fruit” and accompanying iOS app, the package brings a new approach to finding what to watch — and it’s unlike most other smartphone-IR options we’ve encountered so far. Does it all come together, or are we left wishing for more? Read on past the break to find out! Gallery: Peel Fruit iPhone remote control system Continue reading Peel Fruit and iOS app review: channel surfing of the future Peel Fruit and iOS app review: channel surfing of the future originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Well, it’s not yet confirming the “late April” launch date that leaked out yesterday, but Rogers has now just started accepting pre-orders for both the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Arc , each of which will run you $99.99 on a three-year contract (there’s no indication of off-contract pricing). It does say, however, that the current “offer” will expire on May 2nd, which could possibly be an indication of an actual release date, or just the beginning of a different offer. What’s more, Rogers has also revealed a small surprise of another sort — it turns out that it will be carrying both the black and white versions of the Xperia Play. Hit up the link below to get your order in if you’re interested. [Thanks, Caleb] Rogers puts Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Arc up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …TomTom VIA 1435, 1535, 1405 and 1505 navigators start shipping in North America
April 1, 2011 No Comment
Remember that line of VIA navigators we peeked back at CES? Looks like today’s your lucky day if you were holding off to procure one. TomTom just announced retail availability of the VIA 1505, 1535, 1405 and 1435 in North America, and all of ‘em can also be picked up with lifetime maps and / or lifetime traffic. The 14xx models will be boasting a 4.3-inch panel, while the 15xx editions gain a 5-inch display; the whole lot includes the company’s new fold-and-go EasyPort mount, and variants do seem to be available with Bluetooth and advanced voice recognition. Look for the gang to start populating shelves this weekend for $169 and up… if you can manage to find your local Best Buy, that is. Continue reading TomTom VIA 1435, 1535, 1405 and 1505 navigators start shipping in North America TomTom VIA 1435, 1535, 1405 and 1505 navigators start shipping in North America originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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