Let’s be fair, for a company that pulled in NT$14.59 billion (about $500 million in US currency) in net profit last fiscal quarter, $40 million isn’t exactly a huge chunk of change. But the recipient of HTC ‘s money this go around is mighty interesting: cloud gaming experts OnLive . Said company spokesperson Maggie Cheng via Wall Street Journal , this will “strengthen its gaming capabilities and help HTC tap into increasing demand for games on smartphones” — yep, smartphones. HTC also announced it has acquired London-based Saffron Digital for about $48.6 million, although it said the buyout shouldn’t affect deals with its current content partners including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, and Samsung. We don’t think the OnLive investment will stop the cloud gaming company from pushing its way onto as many platforms as (in)humanly possible, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t expect HTC’s versions to be even grander in scale and performance. HTC to invest $40 million into OnLive to help with games on smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Fujifilm confirms Finepix X100 ship date, price and accessory line for US market
February 8, 2011 No Comment
We’ve spent quite a bit not nearly enough time with Fujifilm’s fixed-lens Finepix X100 , and while it felt that March would never actually come during Photokina 2010, it’s actually just a few weeks away. The outfit has today confirmed that its 12.3 megapixel shooter will be shipping to America next month, with a wallet-burning $1,199.95 netting you a 23mm F2 prime lens, a standard ISO range of 200 to 6400 (with a boost to 12800), built-in ND filter, Hybrid Viewfinder and a magnesium alloy chassis. Feel free to peek back at our hands-on sessions to get a better idea if this is the retro body you’ve been yearning for, and hop on past the break if you’d care to see the official verbiage. Gallery: Fujifilm FinePix X100 hands-on at Photokina 2010 Continue reading Fujifilm confirms Finepix X100 ship date, price and accessory line for US market Fujifilm confirms Finepix X100 ship date, price and accessory line for US market originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Data Robotics has certainly flexed its biz muscle before, but this is nothing short of a full-out assault on the boardroom. Or at least the boardroom’s IT closet. The outfit’s new Drobo for Business line is being revealed today, with three pieces of hardware making up the initial line. The new trio is primarily aimed at small businesses, but even average consumers in need of some serious at-home storage may find something worth investigating. Though the system designs are obviously built for use in rack-mount arrangements, you’ll still find the same BeyondRAID setup that existing Drobo users have grown familiar with. At least initially, the company will be offering an 8-bay file sharing Drobo with remote backup, an 8-bay SAN (iSCSI-attached) Drobo and a 12-bay SAN (also iSCSI-attached) with expanded redundancy features, support for thin provisioning and deprovisioning and new data-aware tiering technology. Those who buy in will also be treated to a bolstered level of DroboCare business support, a refreshed management interface tailor to the needs of SMB, new functionality / redundancy and boosted performance from top to bottom. The former two are available now — with pricing to start at just north of $2,000 — while the latter can be reserved as we speak for a Q2 delivery. Gallery: Data Robotics launches Drobo for Business line Continue reading Data Robotics launches Drobo for Business line, new 12-bay SAN option Data Robotics launches Drobo for Business line, new 12-bay SAN option originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HP’s Pavilion dv6 and dv7 get Envy-like features, g-series loses the bargain basement looks
February 8, 2011 No Comment
We know the story: all you want is an HP Envy 14 or 17 , but you just don’t have the cash. Well, as it turns out, HP’s been thinking long and hard about your issue, and its new Pavilion dv6 and dv7 may very well be what the doctor ordered. Pulling out some of the higher-end Envy features, the new 15.6- and 17.3-inch laptops have been refreshed not only with Beats Audio speakers , HD webcams, and HP’s CoolSense technology, but they’ve also been given “dark umber” metal lids / palm rests. Oh, and did we mention the light-up touchpads ? Okay, so it’s not the same as the Envy’s etched-metal case, but they’re certainly a step up in design from the previous glossy rigs, and for their respective $750 and $1,000 starting prices, there’s no arguing that it’s a pretty sweet deal. Spec-wise the machines are just as impressive — they boast Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 processors, AMD Radeon 6000M graphics , and USB 3.0 ports. Additionally, both models will be available with Blu-ray drives and up to two terabytes of storage. Want it tomorrow? We don’t blame you, but you’ll have to wait until “sometime in March” to order these bad boys. On the lower end, HP’s refreshed its Pavilion g-series , and you know what? For under $500, they don’t look half bad. Yep, HP’s gone ahead and given its budget mainstream line a total makeover with colorful lids (name a color, they’ve got it), a pseudo-chiclet keyboard, a touchpad that is totally flush with the palmrest, and Altec Lansing speakers. But while you may be able to take the bargain look out of the laptop, it’s hard to remove those bargain specs — the 14-inch g4, 15.4-inch g6, and 17.3-inch g7 get cut off at AMD’s Athlon and Turion and Intel’s Pentium and Core i3 processors. Still for the $450 to $600 price points, it’s not too shabby. The g-series will be available on March 13th, but until then enjoy the hands-on shots below and the full press release after the break. Gallery: HP Pavilion dv6 / dv7 hands-on and press shots Gallery: HP Pavilion g-series hands-on / press shots Continue reading HP’s Pavilion dv6 and dv7 get Envy-like features, g-series loses the bargain basement looks HP’s Pavilion dv6 and dv7 get Envy-like features, g-series loses the bargain basement looks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Interactive storefront displays show up at Canadian Starbucks, window licking discouraged
February 8, 2011 No Comment
Starbucks has given the caffeinated crowd a new reason, other than the free WiFi , to stop by a couple of locations in Toronto and Vancouver — interactive window displays! Taking sidewalk passers-by on a journey to assemble their favorite Tazo teas, the interactivity comes via a vinyl screen, projector, and gesture controls. We’ve already seen an interactive storefront in the US , so its about time our friends up north got some geekified advertising of their own. Vid’s after the break. Continue reading Interactive storefront displays show up at Canadian Starbucks, window licking discouraged Interactive storefront displays show up at Canadian Starbucks, window licking discouraged originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Steve Ballmer looking for a few good engineers for Microsoft management?
February 8, 2011 No Comment
Bloomberg’s heard a couple whispers that Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer is looking to fill senior product executive roles with engineers. In other words, people who can really understand the products they’re planning, pushing, and promoting — a smart move, if it comes to pass. An announcement could reportedly be made as early as this month alongside a Courier resurgence . (Okay, not really, but let us dream a bit.) Steve Ballmer looking for a few good engineers for Microsoft management? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
A BBC Interactive Operations Engineer has British hearts all aflutter tonight with a tweet announcing that the iPlayer app for the iPad is ready to roll out this Thursday, February 10th. It’s specific to the tablet for now, so no iPhone, and will only debut in the UK, so no BBC America for you just yet, though this is the first step toward making that cozy dream a reality. Taking the BBC TV catchup service into international waters will be done on the basis of a paid subscription model, which should dissuade all the TV License payers in the UK from revolting, but do bear in mind that this upcoming tablet app will only allow content streaming over WiFi. You’ll be able to browse the iPlayer over 3G, we’re told, but will need to hook up to some roomier wireless pipes to sip the sweet nectar of BBC Entertainment on your iPad (in app form, browser-based options are a whole other matter). Stay tuned for the fully detailed announcement in a couple of days. BBC iPlayer app landing on UK iPads this Thursday, US in June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
It’ll still be at least a few more days before it’s automatically pushed out to Kindles around the world, but those looking to get a jump on things can now download an “early preview” of software update version 3.1 for the latest generation Kindle . That update adds a new public notes feature that lets you share your notes with others and view the notes of those you follow, as well as real page numbers that match the page numbers in the print version of a book — those have already been added to “tens of thousands of Kindle books,” and will also be hitting the various Kindle apps in the “coming months.” You’ll also get a new layout for magazines and newspapers that gives you a quick snapshot of the latest edition, and a new “before you go” feature that lets you rate a book as soon as you’ve finished it and share a brief note about it on your social networks. Hit up the link below to download the update and try it out for yourself. Kindle gets software update 3.1 with real page numbers, public notes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
There’s not a lot of firm details just yet, but the CEO of Gogo’s parent company, Aircell, has just confirmed that GoGo is planning to take a few steps beyond it’s basic in-flight WiFi business this year. That will apparently start with a library of in-flight movies that customers will have access to “later this year,” and could eventually expand to other in-flight content including “live gaming.” No word on any content partners involved in any of those plans, but CEO Michael Small says that he believes content has the potential to be a” significant” revenue source for the company. Incidentally, this news coincided with GoGo’s announcement of a $35 million boost from its latest round of funding and, as mocoNews reports, the company has apparently already hired “a number of executives from internet companies” to help it with its new content offerings. Gogo plans to expand into in-flight movies, possibly gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gmail brings Priority Inbox to mobile web app, stymies green-eyed monster
February 7, 2011 No Comment
Those of you suffering from Android envy can put your jealousy aside momentarily, because Priority Inbox is now available via Gmail’s mobile web app. Up until now, the mail sorting system was available for the desktop and Android devices only , but now smart email prioritizing is anybody’s game. If you didn’t already know, Priority Inbox sorts emails in order of importance by learning from your actions, like how many times you read or reply to messages from a certain address. Mobile web users were always able to dig up those sorted messages with the “Important” label, but now all the good stuff is front and center. The feature is available right now on most HTML5-compatible browsers for devices running Android 1.5 and iOS 3.0 or higher, and while it may not be the great equalizer, it’s bound to quell some feelings of OS inadequacy. We’ll chalk it up as a win for the little green monster (and a loss for his green-eyed friend). Gmail brings Priority Inbox to mobile web app, stymies green-eyed monster originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …