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Sunday, November 14, 2010

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Titanium Blue PS3 hits Japan on November 25th, long-awaited racing game in tow

Posted: 14 Nov 2010 09:49 AM PST

November 3rd came and went without a Gran Turismo 5 game to play, so as you'd imagine this gorgeous Titanium Blue PS3 launch bundle also failed to see the light of day. However, now that we've got a totally plausible and twice-confirmed November 24th release date for the little uber-realistic racer that could, it's probably fair to take Sony Japan at its word that we'll see the commemorating console appear without further delay. Tell your Japanese importer to line up on November 25th if you want one with your name on it, and be sure to hand him at least ¥35,980 (about $436) of your rainy day fund.

TiVo Premiere now free on contract for $20 monthly, as TiVo introduces (and enforces) tiered subsidies

Posted: 14 Nov 2010 08:01 AM PST

Well, it seems we finally know why TiVo was waxing poetic about software in recent months -- it's the way the company primarily plans to charge for its DVR hardware from now on. Following a week-long experiment of free-on-contract DVRs conducted last month, TiVo's opening up subsidized and partially subsidized pricing tiers to the entire US for those willing to chain themselves to a pricier $20 monthly fee. You can now get a TiVo Premiere for $0 on a two-year contract or $100 with a one-year arrangement, or pick up a TiVo Premiere XL for $300 on a one-year deal -- the same price the regular old 45-hour TiVo Premiere cost originally. TiVo's also kept the original $12.95-a-month plans around in case you want to pay full price for your hardware, which would normally make better financial sense after about three years, if not for the fact that there are still lifetime subscriptions available for $400 if you're truly in it for the long haul.

We're all for expanding our buying power in this arena, but there's one group of customers who are liable to get mighty pissed at the new arrangement -- the regular Joes and Janes headed to Best Buy right now to pick up a $99 TiVo Premiere "on sale." You see, retailers apparently didn't get the memo about the new tiered pricing and are advertising the arrangement as a $200 discount instead, which leaves TiVo's fine print the unenviable role of explaining that they're going to pony up $20 a month from now on.
2.1.2 When purchasing a TiVo Premiere box from a third party retailer at $99.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere box or $299.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere XL box, you may only subscribe to the TiVo Service on a monthly basis for $19.99 a month with a one (1) year commitment (renews monthly after one year).
Choices, choices.

[Thanks, Daniel and Chris R.]

Scientists put color on your bling with micro carvings, gangsters pacified

Posted: 14 Nov 2010 05:37 AM PST

Remember that time when you sipped some herbal tea and thought, "I really want a pink gold ring?" Yeah, that was some good tea alright, but the brainiacs at the University of Southampton have actually found a way to achieve this potential fashion trendsetter. The idea is simple: rather than coating metals -- especially naturally colored ones like gold and copper -- with paint, these folks alter their color by using an ion beam to carve fine patterns that are smaller than visible light's wavelength. The resultant metamaterial dramatically boosts the metals' light absorption efficiency, thus reflecting a different color depending on the pattern's radius and etch depth. So for instance, gold can reflect colors ranging from orange to red to green to brown with its ring pattern etch depth ranging from 85nm to 205nm, respectively. See? We told you it's simple, but there's also some visual aid after the break to wrap up this science lesson.

EU providing $21 million grant to IBM and others, funding research into cloud storage

Posted: 14 Nov 2010 02:25 AM PST

EU providing $21 million grant to IBM and others, funding research into cloud storage
Clouds are beautiful things that fill our skies with wonderment, and as it turns out they make awfully good places to store our precious data, too. In that way European Union wants to make them even better, providing a €15.7 million (that's $21.4 million US) research project called Vision Cloud. It's set to tackle a number of related storage issues, including the ability to run applications within cloud storage, proper auditing and access restriction, and mobility of said data, so that it can be accessed from anywhere. IBM's Haifa, Israel think tank is going to be leading the effort, while Siemens and SAP will be playing nice too. Really, when you're getting paid to think about clouds, how would it be possible to not play nice?

Hybrid batteries tease big energy capacity while charging in seconds

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 08:28 PM PST

Ioxus Inc. is an up and comer in the energy storage industry that has plans this Monday to announce a new hybrid storage device that it hopes will radically alter batteries used in the auto, medical, and consumer electronics industries. The teased product is said to be roughly the size of a typical C-cell battery and combines the fast charge / discharge benefits of ultracapacitors with the impressive energy-to-weight ratio of a lithium-ion electrode. As a result, Ioxus says the hybrid devices can store more than double the energy of traditional ultracapacitors and charge in a matter of seconds. The catch is that the hybrids have shorter life spans of 20,000 cycles compared to millions of cycles for typical ultracapacitors. We're also taking this with a grain of skepticism until these claims are proven in the field. Some brief digging though did unearth an article written by MIT researchers and published in Scientific American last year that discusses the possible benefits of supercharging lithium-ion cells -- which is encouraging.

The first iteration could be used to power a host of devices like off-the-grid lighting or power tools. Use in larger systems like the regenerative breaks of electric cars however won't be possible until the second generation arrives -- which the CEO pegged as sometime in the first quarter of next year.

HP Slate 500 sees 'extraordinary demand,' experiences six-week shipping delay (update)

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 07:27 PM PST


Yes, the HP Slate 500 is officially backordered, less than a month after its enterprising debut, and Hewlett-Packard claims it's because of "extraordinary demand," a phrase that's presently not quantifiable. The long and short of it, though, is that you're not getting one by Yuletide if you purchase the pricey portable today, as you'll have to wait six weeks until they're ready to ship out. Still, if your budding business bought in on day one, there's still a chance it might arrive in time -- ours is due to our door in early December, if that gives you any idea. We've pinged HP for comment, and hope to hear back soon. We'll be sure to let you know just how "extraordinary" those sales numbers might be.

Update: We've yet to hear back from HP proper, but a trusted tipster with a contact inside HP spun us a very interesting tale -- HP reportedly only ever planned a limited production run of 5,000 units, and received orders for 9,000 instead. When demand outstripped supply, HP apparently had to re-hire production workers just to get the presses printing out tablets again, and are presently placating angry customers by offering them over $100 off their $800 purchase as apology.

[Thanks, Dan]

Elgato EyeTV Netstream Sat brings satellite TV streaming to your iPad

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 06:26 PM PST

Folks on this side of the pond will unfortunately miss out on this one, but our friends in the UK will soon be able to get their hands on Elgato's new EyeTV Netstream Sat box and make everyone else a bit envious. It will not only let you stream Freesat satellite TV to any computer on your home network, but straight to your iPad as well with Elgato's EyeTV app (though not your iPhone or iPod touch, it seems). That sort of streaming has been possible before but, as Pocket-lint notes, you previously had to keep your computer on to stream satellite video to your iOS device. Look for the device to start shipping on November 22nd for £189.95 (or about $300), while the EyeTV app will set you back an extra £2.99.

Mark Papermaster returns to chip business courtesy of Cisco, Apple silently watches

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 04:37 PM PST

We don't blame you if you fail to recognize this good looking fella. Just a quick recap: this is Mark Papermaster, the ex-IBM chip designer who stirred up a storm while transitioning to Apple, only to quietly depart the company 16 months later for reasons that we'll never truly know. Fear not though, folks, as word has it that the boy is back in town: Papermaster is now hanging out with Cisco's Silicon Switching Technology Group as its new vice president. Ironically, our man here will be responsible for making chips that power Cisco's switches, so it'll probably be more or less like his good old days back at IBM. Oh, and without Steve Jobs breathing over his shoulders.

Engadget Podcast 219 - 11.13.2010

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 02:30 PM PST

The Engadget Podcast: It's like a movie, but without the pictures. Well, actually, it has pictures, but they are small, and they don't move. So it's more like a CD than a movie, a Karaoke CD+G disc. Actually, it's EXACTLY like an MP3, an Enhanced AAC File, or an OGG file. That is exactly what it is. It also recently became the Howard Stern Show of Technology Podcasts, and that's all the info you need to know right now so quit bothering us about it and click the link.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Zombie

00:03:25 - Is this the Nexus S?
00:04:19 - Nexus S for T-Mobile gets brief Best Buy Mobile nod: there and gone again
00:07:32 - Google Nexus S is the Samsung GT-i9020? (update)
00:08:33 - This is the Nexus S
00:17:25 - Samsung confirms Continuum dual-display Android handset for Verizon
00:20:30 - Live from Samsung's Android event!
00:21:13 - Samsung Continuum first hands-on (update: video!)
00:28:50 - Exclusive: Samsung 'flagship' phone with Gingerbread and huge display coming in early 2011 (update)
00:29:00 - HTC Mecha / Incredible HD pictured for Verizon with a fancy '4G' symbol
00:47:00 - Poll: Did you get a Windows Phone 7 device today?
00:47:25 - Dell Venue Pro has a microSD card slot, you'll just need to void your warranty to use it
00:50:28 - AT&T tells Samsung Focus customers not to buy microSD cards yet, wait for 'certified' ones (update: random access speed is key)
00:53:00 - Samsung Focus having microSD issues, AT&T not installing cards in-store (updated)
00:58:41 - The Private Network
01:00:20 - Dell Venue Pro on sale at Microsoft stores, but good luck getting one
01:02:45 - Dell confirms protected WiFi problems, mislabeled batteries on the three Venue Pros sold so far
01:03:40 - Lenovo IdeaPad U260 and its 12.5-inch display head stateside for $899
01:05:20 - Boxee Box remote gets dedicated Netflix button
01:05:30 - Netflix and Hulu Plus coming to the Boxee Box
01:07:05 - Hulu's block on Boxee streaming affecting more than just Boxee Boxes
01:13:30 - Confirmed: Kin One and Two are returning to Verizon. Wait, what?
01:15:40 - Facebook about to launch a Gmail-slaying Titan?



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Intel unveils 120GB X25-M SSD, tinkers with 80GB / 160GB model price tags

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 01:17 PM PST

Face it, for the average consumer, solid-state drives still have a price-to-storage issue -- but once you get used to the quick and quiet performance, it's hard to go back. If you're willing to take the dive, or already have and are looking to swap out / upgrade, Intel's lowered the suggested price of its 80GB and 160GB X25-M SSDs to $199 and $415, respectively. Looking to take the middle road? Introducing the 120GB X25-M from the House of All Things Blue. That'll set you back $275, but hey, 'tis the season. Press release after the break.
Show full PR text
Intel Lowers Prices on Solid-State Drives
In Time for Holiday Buying Season

Company Also Adds 120GB Version, Giving Holiday Shoppers
More Choices for One of PCs' Hottest Trends

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
· Intel® Solid-State Drives (SSDs) are more affordable with new pricing in time for holidays
· SSDs replace hard drives for a rugged, low-power performance boost of up to 56 percent
· New Intel® X25-M 120GB SSD, with a price of $249, can store operating system, favorite apps plus thousands of songs or photos

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 12, 2010 – Just in time for the holiday buying season, Intel Corporation has lowered prices and introduced a new model of its award-winning Intel® Solid-State Drive (SSD) product line. SSDs can replace hard disk drives in a PC and provide a substantial performance boost for a notebook or desktop PC, making SSDs one of the hottest new waves in personal computing.

For shoppers looking for the latest high-tech gadget for that intensive PC user or gamer, Intel SSDs can help improve overall system performance by up to 56 percent.* SSDs can replace or complement a traditional hard drive in a notebook or desktop PC and deliver noticeably faster computer performance when booting up, opening files and running software applications. With no moving parts, these SSDs deliver greater reliability and consume less power than conventional hard disk drives (HDDs).

"Every Christmas, consumers are looking for the latest tech gadget; this year, with prices dropping, the solid-state drive is becoming more mainstream and can make the single greatest improvement to PC performance," said Troy Winslow, director of product marketing for the Intel NAND Solutions Group. "With an SSD, tech shoppers can give the gift of a technology makeover that will help speed up, or breathe new life, into a current PC by just swapping out the hard drive for an SSD."

New suggested U.S. resell pricing for the Intel® X25-M Mainstream SATA SSD is now $199 for an 80 gigabyte (GB) drive, which provides plenty of space to store the operating system, multiple office and personal applications, as well as thousands of songs, photos, video and other data. Users can double the storage capacity with a 160GB X25-M drive for $415. The company has also added a new 120GB version of the Intel X25-M for $249, which offers the best dollar-per-GB value in the Intel X25-M SSD line.

Intel SSDs can be purchased at Best Buy or Fry's Electronics nationwide or online from Internet outlets such as Amazon.com or newegg.com. An entry-level 40GB Intel X25-V "boot drive," at a suggested U.S. resell price of $99, is another option for desktop users that allows the operating system and favorite applications to be installed on the SSD for faster performance, while keeping the HDD for further storage.

To begin enjoying the high-performance world of solid-state computing, users can install their own SSD, have a computer technician install it for them or purchase a brand new system from HP, Lenovo and others with an Intel SSD already pre-installed. To make the process of copying, or cloning data, from a user's old hard drive to a speedy new Intel SSD, Intel also includes a free cloning utility called the Intel® Data Migration Software. The easy-to-use IntelData Migration Software will help transfer information from the old hard drive, including operating systems, applications, documents and personal settings, in just minutes. It can be downloaded free of charge at www.intel.com/go/ssdinstallation.

More information on Intel SSDs can be found at www.intel.com/go/ssd and by visiting the full multimedia press kit at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/ssd. Follow Intel SSDs on Twitter: @intelssd, Facebook: Intel Solid State Drive (Official) or communities.intel.com.
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.

Confirmed: Lenovo LePad headed to US in 2011

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 12:39 PM PST

Lenovo led us to believe that that our LePad chances weren't terribly good, but CEO Yang Yuanqing recently told the Wall Street Journal that the Android tablet is indeed slated for a 2011 US launch. Though Lenovo's COO Rory Read was pretty clear that the LePad wouldn't ship stateside until a tablet-ready version of Android was ready to go, it seems the company's now confident that Google will deliver the goods. However, our gain is apparently China's loss, as the publication reports that the slate's been pushed into 2011 (as opposed to this December) in its country of origin as well. What's a multinational computer corporation to do?

Dell Streak Android 2.2 update imminent in UK, other territories on the way

Posted: 13 Nov 2010 11:13 AM PST

Looks like Japan's not the only one that'll have Froyo on a five-inch tabletphone this year -- Dell's official Facebook account confirms that Android 2.2 will be rolling out to the Dell Streak starting this very month. That date's just for the UK, mind you, as Dell plans to stagger the release from country to country for that winsome Stage UI. That said, if you're a particularly astute diner you may be able to get your sweet spoonful sooner than some, as just last evening Dell directed a number of Streak owners to the website pictured above. While that "Continue with Update" button reportedly didn't work and the website has since been pulled, it seems that Dell's considering the idea of letting users directly download Android 2.2 themselves. See what that update might include (spoiler: mobile hotspot!) over at StreakSmart.

[Thanks, Naz]
at 11:55 AM

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