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- Tim Cook and Larry Page reportedly chat about patent war
- Mophie Outride ruggedized action case for iPhone hands-on
- Sony HMZ-T2 3D display, heads-in (video)
- Plantronics GameCom Commander headset hands-on
- Pantech Magnus pictured en route to AT&T
- Fido switches on LTE, gives Canadians a taste of slightly more budget-minded 4G
- Visualized: Samsung's eerily familiar IFA Smart Lounge
- ZTE Grand X IN: early benchmarks for the latest Intel-powered smartphone
- Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker hands-on, soles off
- Mars Curiosity leaves its landing area, heads to distant frontier a quarter-mile away
- Early Nintendo brochure shows us the childhood we could have had, the knitting we never did
- Exclusive: Motorola Droid RAZR M 4G LTE gets hands-on treatment (video)
- Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light
- States reach $69 million settlement with three publishers in e-book price fixing case
- Sony Xperia J approved, torn down by FCC in first 24 hours of its official existence
- We're the first to hit a million Flipboard subscribers, and now you can win a Nexus 7!
- Huawei shows off early version of Emotion UI for Android, packs a 'stock' skin too (hands-on)
- LG's EA93 29-inch display features 21:9 aspect ratio, we take a look at IFA (video)
- Smartype puts screen in your keyboard so you can see and type while you type and see
- LG's 55-inch OLED TV enters the third dimension, we slide on our glasses (hands-on video)
- LG's 84-inch UD 3D TV makes its formal IFA debut, we go hands-on (video)
- LG 27-inch Personal Smart TV hands-on (updated: video)
- Galaxy Note II priced for Vodafone: 640 euros of LTE phablet goodness
- Amazon's Kindle Fire has sold out just in time for the company's next big event
- LG Optimus L9 hands-on (video)
- ZTE Grand X IN: Intel-powered ICS smartphone to launch next month
- Sifteo Cubes go next-generation, square gaming gets more portable (update)
- Goophone I5 manages to KIRF the 2012 iPhone weeks in advance
- Barnes & Noble continues British invasion, forges pacts with Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles
- Panasonic's 103-inch glasses-less 3D plasma panel arrives at IFA (eyes-on)
- Western Digital My Passport for Mac portable hard drives get stamped for USB 3.0 and 2TB capacity
- Western Digital MyBook VelociRaptor Duo: Thunderbolt, 2TB capacity, and a whopping $900 price tag
- Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 makes official debut at IFA 2012: a 10-inch hybrid Android 4.0 slate
- Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up
- Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 gets official outing at IFA 2012: 9-inch 1280 x 800 display, Tegra 3, Android 4.0 (hands-on video)
- NASA completes successful parachute drop simulation for Orion spacecraft
- Panasonic's 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video)
- Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 gets formal unveiling at IFA 2012: a ruggedized, 7-inch Android 4.0 slate (hands-on photos)
- Samsung 22-inch Transparent Showcase Panel eyes-on at IFA 2012
- Visualized: Samsung's human, Galaxy Note-powered taxi
| Tim Cook and Larry Page reportedly chat about patent war Posted: 30 Aug 2012 11:21 AM PDT According to Reuters, Tim Cook and Larry Page have been having behind the scenes chats over the last week or so, most notably about the ongoing patent proxy war between the two companies. According to sources, the Apple and Google CEOs spoke last week over the phone and are planning a meeting where, hopefully, they can hash out some of their differences. Discussions are also apparently taking place at lower levels, which could indicate this is a concerted effort to put to rest the tiresome battles over intellectual property. Unfortunately, details about what exactly the two talked about and how broad those conversations were are unknown. But, it's definitely a good sign that the two sides are talking. Perhaps the relatively new corporate heads can avoid going completely "thermonuclear," as Cook's predecessor infamously threatened. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mophie Outride ruggedized action case for iPhone hands-on Posted: 30 Aug 2012 11:03 AM PDT Sure, you've been tempted to strap your iPhone to that ski helmet for a homemade action cam solution, but ultimately, you respect Apple's warranty, as limited as it may be. Mophie's new Outride ruggedized case equips your fragile smartphone with a ruggedized shell, protecting the device while also serving as a helmet / bicycle / flat-surface mount. The thick plastic case includes a raised lens module, and is available in both water-resistant and above ground flavors. That first version is still undergoing testing, according to Mophie reps, so we don't know just how far it can dunk with letting down its guard to condensation, but we do know that it will retail for $149. A land-only version will also be available for $129, and unlike the sealed model, your iPhone's display will still be exposed, giving you full access to the device. Both cases include a dedicated shutter release, which works in camera mode, letting you snap away under the sea. They also ship with a trio of mounts for your helmet, handle bars or a flat surface. Catch a closer look at Outride in the gallery below. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony HMZ-T2 3D display, heads-in (video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 10:52 AM PDT Sony didn't exactly go out of its way to talk up the new HMZ-T2 during its press conference the other day at IFA, never actually mentioning it on stage. The device did, however, pop up in a small corner of the company's show booth. The reason for the silence is pretty clear, when you get down to it -- not a lot has changed here. Really, the T2 is just a minor update to a first generation product, most of its changes revolving around making the admittedly slightly uncomfortable wearable a bit easier on your head. It's 100 grams lighter than its predecessor and features improvements to its adjustable parts. The head pad is larger and can be moved to better fit your head, the strap can be adjusted at a number of points and the sliders beneath the 0.7-inch OLED monitors can be adjusted independently from one another. Oh, and while there are Virtualphone built-in, there's also a headphone jack, so you can bring your own pair. All in all, we have to say it did feel a bit more comfortable than the set we tried on for the first time roughly this time last year. The headset also features different viewing modes, including 24p True Cinema for slower paced movies and Clear mode for action scenes, as well as Auto Color Temperature to help improve the picture. All told, however, it's not much to write home about -- if you were thinking of picking up the T1, this guy is certainly an improvement. If you've already got one to call your own, however, it's probably not worth the upgrade when it hits later this year.
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| Plantronics GameCom Commander headset hands-on Posted: 30 Aug 2012 10:47 AM PDT Serious PC gamers require serious gaming kit and here at IFA 2012, Plantronics is showcasing a product built precisely for that segment. Announced just today, the limited edition GameCom Commander headset bakes Dolby 7.1 ProLogic sound and noise isolation tech into a ruggedized form factor -- so it'll survive your late night Max Payne-related tantrums. We tried the headset on for size and were delighted with just how light it actually is -- definitely a plus for marathon gaming sessions. As for that mic, it's placed a good distance from your mouth and, of course, adjusts to suit your needs. If you're looking for a wireless option, then this set's not for you, given it features breakaway wires, but it does feature an adapter to connect you with a mobile phone. All told, it's an understated set that might be worth your while. Take a look at our associated gallery below.
Bring Your A-Game With a Headset Designed and Built for Professional Gamers London, UK – 16th August 2012 – When the competition is fierce and the stakes go beyond bragging rights, gamers need every possible advantage to win. Where adrenaline is the common fuel and superb skills are the norm, the competitive edge for world-class gamers is focus. More than the opponents, distractions are the enemy to beat. The new limited edition Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) GameCom Commander™ headset lets competitive PC gamers hear and be heard no matter how harsh the playing field. With exceptional noise isolation, the GameCom Commander distills the roar of the crowd into a silent current of energy so gamers can stay plugged in while distractions are tuned out. The extremely durable and comfortable headset boasts Plantronics' best audio and voice technologies that ensure gamers will hear every crucial command, signal, and strategy whether competing in front of thousands on the main stage or sharpening their skills at home between competitions. The GameCom Commander also features easily accessible controls, breakaway cords and includes a custom built durable carrying case for convenient storage and transport. "Professional gamers have unique needs, the performance of their equipment is as important as the skills they possess. The GameCom Commander headset is one of the most important weapons in the gamer's arsenal, engineered in the long-standing tradition of Plantronics headsets for astronauts, pilots, emergency workers, and others on the frontline," said Stuart Bradshaw, EMEA consumer marketing manager at Plantronics. "We are thrilled that the GameCom Commander has been chosen by the ESWC (Electronic Sports World Cup) as their official headset and will be used by global professional gamers during the finals in October." The GameCom Commander features: Unparalleled noise isolation technology The GameCom Commander priced at £249/€299 MSRP and available from September at select online stores. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pantech Magnus pictured en route to AT&T Posted: 30 Aug 2012 10:46 AM PDT Pantech has been steadily building its relationship with AT&T over the past few years by supplying the carrier with a healthy dose of budget-friendly handsets. Could it be that the OEM has finally earned the opportunity to add a higher-end device to the GSM giant's lineup? It may very well be the case with the P9090, aka the Magnus. Our source has hooked us up with the first images of the smartphone, which confirms an 8MP camera with LED flash, front-facing cam and at least Ice Cream Sandwich (if not Jelly Bean). While the image doesn't reveal any other specs, we're expecting to see a 720p display, LTE connectivity and a Qualcomm MSM8960 dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. We're still not sure what to think about the bumpy design on its back, though it does remind us a little bit of what Verizon has done on the HTC Incredible series. The specs may be quite similar to the Vega Racer 2, though the phone itself doesn't look anywhere close to the manufacturer's Korean flagship. AT&T still hasn't announced the Magnus, but we'll let you know pricing and availability as soon as we have it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fido switches on LTE, gives Canadians a taste of slightly more budget-minded 4G Posted: 30 Aug 2012 10:31 AM PDT Canadians have had fairly limited options for LTE-based 4G if they didn't want to turn to the three main carrier brands: they could go to a Bell-owned Virgin Mobile, and that's it. While there isn't a truly independent LTE carrier yet, Rogers' lower-cost Fido label has just taken its promised LTE access live to at least offer some competition among the smaller names in the field. Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John's, Toronto and Vancouver can immediately hop on the network at speeds of up to 100Mbps. Bring-your-own-device users don't have to pay a premium to get the faster speeds, although there's currently little choice in hardware if you want to buy straight from the source: the lone LTE device on offer is Sierra Wireless' AirCard 763S hotspot, which costs $50 on a two-year contract. The flexible rate data-only plan also isn't the greatest deal, starting at $22 for a gone-in-five-minutes 100MB per month to $92 for 9GB. All the same, light data users in the True North will be glad to know they don't have to be relegated to 3G to save a few dollars. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Visualized: Samsung's eerily familiar IFA Smart Lounge Posted: 30 Aug 2012 10:14 AM PDT So many tired and weary feet at this show, who wouldn't want a nice lounge? Particularly a Smart one? And hey, Samsung's tenty IFA lounge seemed oddly welcoming -- at least to us Engadget folk. You'd think Samsung would be a little more cautious these days... | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ZTE Grand X IN: early benchmarks for the latest Intel-powered smartphone Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:58 AM PDT It's a shame when phones feel outdated even as they hit the market, but that's sadly what happened with the original Grand X. However, as you may have heard a few hours ago, the handset's just had a healthy revamp. The spec-bumped version is called the Grand X IN -- it's due out next month and we've just had a chance to run some early benchmarks to test the performance of its vanilla Android 4 OS and new Intel engine. Among a range of improvements, including an 8-megapixel camera with burst mode (instead of the Grand X's dowdy five with no burst) and 1GB of RAM (instead of 512MB), the biggest change is that processor: out goes the old NVIDIA Tegra 2 and in comes a Medfield Z2460. Yep, that's the exact same chip we've seen put to good effect in the Orange San Diego, but how does it fare in this device? Click past the break for a head-to-head comparison with the San Diego, which is cheaper but slightly less well-built (and still running Gingerbread), and the Galaxy Nexus, which costs more but comes with a far better display.
So what do we see here? Some good, some bad, and some numbers that are plain confusing. The CF-Bench score in particular looks scarily low, to the point where we'd treat it with caution until we can figure out why -- after all, this is a pre-release device. The Quadrant score is also inexplicably lower than the San Diego, but still well ahead of the Galaxy Nexus. On the flip-side, the Vellamo and SunSpider scores are both extremely healthy, and if we work on the philosophy that good benchmarks are rarely flukes then these scores bode well. Coupled with the extra RAM and superior camera module, they hint that the Grand X IN could be a serious contender if ZTE can stop the price creeping above that of the original £190 ($299 off-contract) Grand X. No doubt this is a device we'll be looking to review as soon as it's ready for sale. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker hands-on, soles off Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:47 AM PDT Hey, it's a shoe-themed Bluetooth speaker -- because, hey, why not, right? Jabra announced the punnily named Solemate yesterday, and we happened to run into one on the floor of this year's IFA. It's a small, solid little speaker with a hearty rubber sole that sits on the bottom, protecting the device from shocks and the like. The heel actually peels off, so you can replace it with different colors. Jabra had a slew of brightly colored options aside from the basic black and white, though apparently those won't be widely available at launch. The pairing process is quite easy -- just flip the Bluetooth button on the side of the device and a glowing blue light will turn on -- not only that, but a friendly device will walk you through the process. Find the speaker on your device's drop down menu and you're good to go. As for the sound, it's surprisingly loud (120dB, to be exact). We walked off the show floor for a second to demo it, but it turned out we didn't need to. Oh, and when you're using a non-Bluetooth device, there's a wired connection that lives on the bottom of the sole that you can pull out. All in all, it's a really solid and nicely built speaker -- and for its $200 asking price, we'd certainly hope so. The speaker has big volume buttons on the top and a carrying loop on its side. It also comes with a small black bag, which it can actually play through without dampening the sound too much. It'll hit the US on September 2nd, but you can pre-order it now, if you're eager. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mars Curiosity leaves its landing area, heads to distant frontier a quarter-mile away Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:46 AM PDT Now that Curiosity has survived its thrill-a-minute landing and passed an upgrade and physical with (nearly) flying colors, the rover is off to earn its $2 billion keep. The buggy got off to a good start, driving 52 feet towards its first science site "beautifully, just as our rover planners designed it," according to NASA. The destination, Glenelg, is 1,500 feet away from the now-familiar Bradbury Landing where it first set down, which is pretty far for a rover that treks along at about a tenth of a mile per hour. On top of that, its minders have some stops in mind to test instruments -- meaning it'll arrive there in about two weeks. Once at Glenelg, Curiousity will scope the unusual geology of the region, though its principal destination for science is Mount Sharp, a relatively vast six miles away. Don't worry about it running out of gas, though -- it's nuclear power supply will last a full Martian year, or 687 earth days. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Early Nintendo brochure shows us the childhood we could have had, the knitting we never did Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:31 AM PDT We all know what the Nintendo Entertainment System looks like, right? Well, if a butterfly had flapped its wings in a slightly different manner, things could have apparently been quite different. Former Director of Game Creative at Nintendo America, Howard Phillips, has recently uploaded some images taken from a 1985 brochure for a precursor to the NES called the AVS (Advanced Video System). While a glance at some vintage-looking hardware that never came to be -- such as the wireless controller -- is a retrospective tease, it was the marketing material from a couple of years later that really snags the attention: an advert for a knitting machine peripheral. The image shows the NES we know and love, with a controller in a dock, attached to a knitting device turning-out what we can only assume are some leg-warmers. Not wanting to alienate its largely male audience, however, the tagline reads "Now you're knitting with power." Given that it never came to market, though, we guess that not quite everything was acceptable in the eighties.
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| Exclusive: Motorola Droid RAZR M 4G LTE gets hands-on treatment (video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:18 AM PDT There's no stopping the torrential downpour of information coming out about the Motorola Droid RAZR M 4G LTE (codenamed Scorpion Mini), but we finally have some real pictures showing off the device that, this time last week, was nothing more than a mere rumor. Our source had the opportunity to play with the RAZR M for a solid amount of time, and told us that the Snapdragon S4 processor is "fantastic" and the lithium polymer battery resulted in a full day of heavy usage. We've got a few more images of the unannounced device below (it appears the top back panel experienced a run-in with a hard surface before the images were taken), and we also have a video showing off the boot-up process and settings menu after the break.
[Thanks, Anonymous!]
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| Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:00 AM PDT In addition to unveiling that U925t laptop / tablet hybrid yesterday, Toshiba is announcing some more conventional-looking PCs this week at IFA. These new models include the Satellite U945, a low-end Ultrabook; the Satellite P845t, an Ultrabook with a touchscreen; and the Satellite S955, a 15-inch thin-and-light. Across the board, these will be available October 26th, the day Windows 8 formally launches. For now, too, Toshiba isn't revealing prices, though we already know plenty about the specs. Join us after the break where we'll spell out those nitty-gritty details. Satellite U945: If you thought the U845 was reasonably priced, get a load of this guy. This 14-inch Ultrabook, expected to cost roughly $50 less than its brother, trades in the U845's metal-clad design for textured blue plastic. It's a less premium look, to be sure, but on the inside, the specs aren't all that different: you'll have your choice of a Core i3 or i5 processor, and the 500GB hard drive is paired with a 32GB SSD for faster boot-ups. Toshiba isn't saying exactly how much it weighs, except that it's "less than four pounds" (we do know that it measures 0.78 inches thick). On the outside, that slightly bigger footprint means there's room for three USB ports (two 3.0, one 2.0), an Ethernet jack and an HDMI socket. Satellite P845t: Though you'll see plenty of PC makers unleash Ultrabooks with touchscreens, the P845t is a little more substantial: what you have here is a more full-fledged 14-inch notebook, with room for plenty of ports and a more capacious 750GB hard drive. Design-wise, it's fashioned out of etched, champagne-colored aluminum. Under the hood, it runs Core i3 and i5 CPUs, buffered by six gigs of RAM. As one one of Toshiba's high-end machines (that "p" is for "premium," after all), this has Harman Kardon audio, Sleep-and-Charge and well as Sleep-and Music. All told, there are three USB 3.0 ports, along with HDMI output, an Ethernet jack and Intel's Wireless Display tech baked in. One area where this isn't a premium notebook is the screen: the resolution is fixed at 1,366 x 768. Satellite S955: It's not an Ultrabook, but it's 30 percent thinner than Toshiba's current 15-inch S series laptop. Inside, it packs either an Ivy Bridge Core i5 CPU or an AMD A8 APU. You can also get it up with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 750GB of hard drive storage. Though we don't yet know the price, we know that it will be more affordable than Toshiba's high-end P series, which is to say it's missing nice-to-have features like Harman Karmon audio and Sleep-and-Music ports. You do get a Sleep-and-Charge port among the three USB ports (two are 3.0, one is 2.0). HDMI output, an Ethernet jack, a DVD drive and Bluetooth 4.0 round out the specs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| States reach $69 million settlement with three publishers in e-book price fixing case Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:43 AM PDT When the US Department of Justice sued Apple and five major book publishers over alleged e-book price rigging, it immediately became clear that a few of these companies would do just about anything to avoid trial. That same day, three of the publishers -- HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette -- elected to settle with the DoJ. Now, those same three publishers have reached an agreement in 49 states (all but Minnesota), wherein consumers will receive a combined $69 million in compensation. Specifically, the payout applies to people who bought agency-priced e-books between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012. Interestingly, the payout includes folks who bought e-books from Macmillan and Penguin, even though those two publishers aren't settling. As for making sure people get paid, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google, Sony, Apple and Kobo have agreed to identify and contact affected customers. According to ABC News, most of these retailers will give customers the option of receiving a check or a credit toward future purchases. Sony, meanwhile, will automatically issue checks, while Google will direct customers to an online submission form where they can file a claim. Whatever the method, payments are expected to begin 30 days after the settlement is approved. The DoJ settlement, which is separate from the agreement with the 49 states, is still awaiting clearance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony Xperia J approved, torn down by FCC in first 24 hours of its official existence Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:23 AM PDT Of Sony's trio of Xperia phones announced yesterday at IFA 2012, we've now seen the smallest and most budget-friendly model -- the Xperia J -- make it through the mounds of red tape and federal approval. Fortunately for us, Sony didn't bother requesting confidentiality on the various teardown photos that typically are kept away from prying public eyes. As always, it's important to withhold any assumptions that this particular device will make it to any US carrier; FCC approvals never offer any guarantee, and the J's lack of LTE isn't going to help matters. Still, this seems like an ideal device for a prepaid operator to pick up, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, gaze upon the full teardown in the gallery below.
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| We're the first to hit a million Flipboard subscribers, and now you can win a Nexus 7! Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:01 AM PDT There are a lot of great ways to get your Engadget news, including our fine selection of apps and our tablet magazine Distro -- plus the good 'ol World Wide Web, of course -- but we've been shocked to see just how many of you have been consuming our wares daily on Flipboard. Shocked and, well, flattered. The service finally hit Android in June and, in the month after that, our overall Flipboard subscribers jumped and surpassed one million. That's a huge number on its own, but that's not all. We're very proud to say that we're the first to hit one million subscribers, making Engadget the biggest single property on Flipboard! We're so happy about that we want to give a little something back. So, we're picking up a Nexus 7 and will be sending it to one lucky reader. To enter, all you need to do is sign in and comment below. The full rules are below, so make sure you give those a skim before commenting. If you're a Flipboard user with feedback on the Engadget experience there, or a subscriber who would like to sponsor us on Flipboard, email us: flipboard [at] engadget [dot] com! The rules:
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| Huawei shows off early version of Emotion UI for Android, packs a 'stock' skin too (hands-on) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:49 AM PDT Huawei didn't have any new hardware to show during its packed press conference, but it did have an early version of its Emotion UI skin for Android devices. Aiming to make its smartphone experience a little gentler for first-timers, while offering up a slightly different flavor of Google's OS, Huawei's been polling its customers, running user experience salons and meeting regular groups of between 40 - 70 consumers to understand what was working -- and what was definitely not. To this end, the company's "driven [itself] crazy" by keeping to a tight schedule and releasing iterative updates every two weeks (at least for beta) and monthly for stable builds. At its core is the "uni home" screen, drawing together both Android's typical homescreen and the app drawer in one place. Apps can be arranged into folders, while deleting the app icon now uninstalls the app. Also working on the early iteration were several pre-loaded Android themes (up to six) that tap into the UI's design. To augment this, Huawei's made additional themes available online -- about 20 plus. Interestingly, there's even a stock theme here, which adds Google's homemade Android 4.0 icons and wallpapers. This doesn't, however, stretch to the aforementioned uni home. We also noticed that Huawei has made the shortcut switches within the drop-down menu far more expansive, far beyond the Bluetooth and WiFi staples. The Emotion UI will roll out for public testing starting tomorrow -- you can download a (currently Chinese-only) version at the source link below. Huawei Showcases Proprietary User Interface for | ||||||||||||||||||||
| LG's EA93 29-inch display features 21:9 aspect ratio, we take a look at IFA (video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:26 AM PDT It's alive! We spotted a powered-off version of LG's latest monitor earlier in the week, but now it's loaded up with content and ready to make its formal debut. LG's gone big -- very big -- with some of the showings at its IFA booth. But in addition to the massive 84-inch UD 3D TV and the 55-inch OLED HD TV, it's also showcasing some more modest displays. The company announced its 21:9 aspect ratio monitor, the 29-inch EA93, just prior to IFA. The IPS monitor boasts a WQHD resolution (2,560 x 1,080 pixels) and supports four-way split-screen view. The wide-screen aspect ratio is the same you'll find at a movie theater, making it an ideal choice for viewing Blu-ray flicks, and LG's framing the EA93 as a choice setup for photographers and other multimedia pros, too. LG had a half dozen of the displays on hand at its IFA 2012 booth playing content in a loop. One station demonstrated cinema playback with a trio of recent film trailers, while other demos included a stock-tracking layout, side-by-side browser windows and the Windows 8 screen you see above. Speaking of that latest Microsoft OS, the EA93 is perfectly suited for viewing extended layouts, giving you direct access to even more tiles simultaneously. We couldn't accurately judge sharpness, as the pre-recorded screens didn't appear at full resolution, though colors did appear bright and accurate. The chrome stand complemented the black finish nicely, while a multitude of ports on the back enabled USB 3.0, HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI connectivity. You can grab an up-close look at both sides of the 21:9 monitor in our gallery below. Zach Honig contributed to this report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Smartype puts screen in your keyboard so you can see and type while you type and see Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:22 AM PDT Marrying a keyboard and an LCD is not exactly revolutionary any more. Art Lebedev has been doing it since at least 2008. But those devices have always been aimed at power users and gamers, not your average Joe. Smartype, from KeyView, doesn't display custom buttons for World of Warcraft of alter the fonts you see for languages that don't use the Latin alphabet. Instead, its primary purpose is to display exactly what you're typing. The screen along the top of the tiny deck allows users that aren't proficient touch typers to see what they're pecking out, without looking back and forth between the keyboard and their monitor. There are also a handful of apps that pop up notifications for email or display the current weather. The goal is to bring the interactive app revolution that has made our phones "smart" to the rather staid world of the keyboard. For now the Smartype is only available in Israel, but the company is working on international availability. For more, check out the video after the break. [Thanks, Ilya] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||||||||||||||||||||
| LG's 55-inch OLED TV enters the third dimension, we slide on our glasses (hands-on video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:05 AM PDT We first saw LG's 55-inch OLED TV at last year's CES, where it drew a fair share of oohs and ahhs at the company's press event. In May, the tentative pricing info for the European market was released, but this set's future in the US remained TBD. Fast forward to IFA 2012, and we're in front of this giant again -- but this time, it's sporting 3D. True, at 55 inches, it's no goliath compared to the 84-inch TVs we've seen this week from Sony, Toshiba and even LG, but the company claims this 55-inch model is the largest OLED HDTV available, and its carbon fiber backing and ultra-thin 4mm profile are certainly the markings of a high-end setup. During LG's booth tour today, we had a chance to sneak a peek at the now 3D-capable set, which otherwise looks quite similar to the version we saw at CES, albeit with a bit more polish. In order to achieve a 4-millimeter profile, the set packs all of its connectivity in the base module. There's also an Invisible Connection module on order, which hooks up to the TV through a proprietary optical connector and transparent cable, should you wish to mount the display on your wall. Naturally, 3D content wasn't as sharp as its 2D counterpart, but the OLED looked great regardless. With its ultra-thin design, it's surely meant for consumers who care about aesthetics perhaps even more than image quality, but if you can stomach the €9,000 price tag, this is one fine get. Take a closer look in our gallery just below. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Zach Honig contributed to this report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| LG's 84-inch UD 3D TV makes its formal IFA debut, we go hands-on (video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:48 AM PDT Here's yet another 84-inch 4K TV, this time from LG. The company's 84LM9600 was announced last week and has already started shipping in Korea, but it's here at IFA and poised to hit the market worldwide. Priced at about $22,105, this display is big in every way. You get a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 -- four times the resolution of existing full HD panels -- and what LG calls "3D sound" thanks to 2.2 integrated channel speakers. 3D is courtesy of the company's passive glasses technology. So how does that all look? We spotted the set during LG's booth tour today. At first it seemed like "just another" 84-inch 4K TV (the form-factor seems to have exploded within the last week), but this flavor is rigged for three-dimensional viewing as well. You'll need to view 2D content in order to take advantage of the full resolution, and the picture in this mode seemed to be on par with the competition, based on our quick peek at IFA. And how about 3D? The passive picture was consistent with the company's other sets, just, well, much much larger. Will you be making room for this massive set in your living room? You might want to take a closer look in our hands-on photos below before pulling out that credit card. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Zach Honig contributed to this report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| LG 27-inch Personal Smart TV hands-on (updated: video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:39 AM PDT Designed for more realistic living quarters, LG's unleashed its Personal Smart TV to the IFA crowds. With a 27-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display, you'll also find the typical stable of connectivity options, including two HDMI, three USB, component, LAN and SCART connections. The screen seemed well-lit with the IPS panel offering suitably reliable views from most angles. It's a pretty stylish-looking TV too, with a rough metallic finish to the bezel, which while not jaw-dropping, is still suitably narrow. The Smart TV functions were also navigable through LG's Smart Remote, offering a WiiMote-ish approach to media browsing. Our demo model was already packed with German media content -- in both 2D and 3D -- ready for when it launches here next month. It'll be appearing in shops across Europe around the same time, although there's no word on the set landing on US shores. Check out our quick hands-on video after the break. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Joseph Volpe contributed to this report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Galaxy Note II priced for Vodafone: 640 euros of LTE phablet goodness Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:34 AM PDT Wondering when you'll be able to get your hands on a Galaxy Note II and just how much it'll cost? Well... we can't help you. But, a placard spotted on the floor at IFA today should give us some hint as to pricing. When it lands in Germany in the coming months, the second-gen phablet will set customers back €639.90, or about $803, through Vodafone. That's quite the hefty price tag, even for an unsubsidized LTE device. Heck, the current model is only $549 commitment free from AT&T right now. Let's just hope the price in dollars is closer, numerically to the German price and not so close in monetary value. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Amazon's Kindle Fire has sold out just in time for the company's next big event Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:17 AM PDT Amazon has just announced that the Kindle Fire has joined the Kindle Touch on the out-of-stock list, presumably forever, a week before the company's mysterious product announcement. Jeff Bezos has teased that the company's got an "exciting roadmap" ahead, which we'd expect to include at least one touchscreen e-reader and a vastly revamped 7-inch tablet, designed to better compete with Google's similarly sized budget offering. Kindle Fire-The #1 Best-selling Product on Amazon Since Launch-Now Sold Out In just 9 months, Kindle Fire captures 22% of U.S. tablet sales 10 of the top 10 best-selling items on Amazon since Kindle Fire launched are Kindle devices and content SEATTLE-August 30, 2012-(NASDAQ: AMZN)-Less than one year ago, Amazon introduced Kindle Fire -combining 15 years of innovation into a single, fully-integrated, end-to-end service for customers. Kindle Fire quickly became the most successful product launch in the history of Amazon.com, earning over 10,000 5-star customer reviews, and is the #1 best-selling product across the millions of items available on Amazon since its introduction 48 weeks ago. Today, Amazon announced that Kindle Fire is sold out, and that in just nine months, Kindle Fire has captured 22% of tablet sales in the U.S. "We're grateful to the millions of customers who have made Kindle Fire the most successful product launch in the history of Amazon," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "This has been a big year for digital products on Amazon-all of the top 10 sellers on Amazon.com since Kindle Fire launched just less than a year ago are digital products. Kindle Fire is sold out, but we have an exciting roadmap ahead-we will continue to offer our customers the best hardware, the best prices, the best customer service, the best cross-platform interoperability, and the best content ecosystem." Kindle Fire offers customers a vast selection of digital content-over 22 million movies, TV shows, apps, games, books, magazines and more-in one seamless, end-to-end experience, making it easy for customers to browse, discover and purchase. Since Kindle Fire launched last September, all of the top 10 products on Amazon-across all products-are digital products. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| LG Optimus L9 hands-on (video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:07 AM PDT Thought LG didn't have any more to add to the L-Style series to offer the world? Behold the L9. Announced yesterday, the device made an appearance on the IFA show room floor this week, boasting a big and bright 4.7-inch IPS display that makes its brethren look downright shrimpy by comparison. In spite of the display size, the phone feels light, with an 8.9-millimeter profile. It's important to note here that, in spite of being the king of the L-Series, it's still part of a budget lineup, and as such, the phone's body feels a bit plasticky, and the textured rear had a bit of trouble staying snapped in place in the two models (black and white) that we played with. Specwise, we're talking a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM inside, 4GB of storage (expandable via a microSD slot) and a 2,150mAh battery. The handset's rocking Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.4, to be precise). The handset's got a fairly nice bezel, with the front-facing camera on the top and a home button on the bottom, flanked by illuminating back and menu touch buttons. A larger, 5MP camera is located on the rear of the device, above the flash. Vodafone has the handset priced at €50.90 subsidized and €340 unsubsidized. Peep a video of the handset, after the break.
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| ZTE Grand X IN: Intel-powered ICS smartphone to launch next month Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT It was all getting a little quiet on Intel-powered smartphone front, but now ZTE's decided to refresh its not-so-elderly Grand X with a Medfield processor and Ice Cream Sandwich. Part of ZTE's showing here at IFA, it's the company's first Android 4.0 device, running on an Atom Z2460. Expect HSPA+ speeds up to 21Mbps, alongside some familiar Grand X specs. This includes a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 screen, while this model now packs an 8-megapixel camera and 1,650mAh battery. ZTE's latest redesign will arrive in Europe at the start of next month -- and we'll be tracking down a model in Berlin later today. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub! ZTE to Deliver its First Smartphone with Intel Inside® ZTE Grand X IN handset to be sold across Europe beginning in September 30 August 2012, London, UK – ZTE Corporation ("ZTE") (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, announced that it will launch its first Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with Intel Inside®, the ZTE Grand X IN. This ZTE flagship handset is the latest product from the ZTE Grand series and will be launched in Europe in September. The Grand X IN delivers fast and efficient performance via the low power Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, and support for HSPA+ 21Mbps network with the Intel® XMM™ 6260 Platform. Together, these Intel technologies help deliver end users with an energy efficient, high performance user experience enabling fast browsing and a responsive Internet experience. The ZTE Grand X IN has a 4.3-inch, 16 million colour screen, a best-in-class 8MP camera, Blu- ray quality movie playback and long battery life with a 1650 mAh, Li-Ion battery. With a 127 x 65 x 9.9mm chassis the Grand X IN also features the latest communications capabilities including Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi & Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and Mobile HD link (via micro-USB) short range connectivity. Its wide range of audio-visual features includes Dolby Sound, HD Video Capture "The Grand X IN is ZTE's first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and we look forward to building our partnership with Intel," said Mr. Ao Wen, Vice President of Europe Operations for ZTE Handsets. "The handsets in the ZTE Grand portfolio are quality devices focused on providing a great level of service and, with the inclusion of Intel's technology in the Grand X IN, we have provided a handset with enhanced capabilities, reliability and ZTE has nearly 10 years experience of smartphone research and development and commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to R&D. ZTE's focus is to provide the best handset for the best value so all consumers can enjoy the experience of using a very capable smartphone. We want to focus on things that matter, so we excel at providing superior battery life and fast feeds and speeds, resulting in a high level of customer satisfaction." "We're pleased to extend the close collaboration we entered with ZTE at Mobile World Congress 2012 to Intel-based smartphones. ZTE is a fast growing global handset maker that strives to create products with features and capabilities that people care most about," said Helmut Vogler, vice president and general manager of Mobile and Wireless Sales for Intel Corporation. "The Grand X IN is a well-rounded device that marries robust hardware and software to deliver great performance and value for consumers." Intel® Atom™ Processor Z2460 HSPA+ 21Mbps support with Intel® XMM™ 6260 Platform EDGE 900/1800/1900 HSDPA 900/2100 DPA 21Mbps UPA 5.76Mbps Android* Ice Cream Sandwich RAM 1GB, ROM 16GB/4GB, Ext. microSD 32GB 4.3'', QHD (960x540), 16M, TFT, Capacitive 1650 mAh, Li-Ion 8Mpx AF/Flash + 0.3Mpx Front Camera GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP Accelerator, Gyro, Compass, Proximity, Light Dolby, FM Radio DLNA, 1080p Rec., 1080p Play NFC, FOTA, HD Voice, Dual Mic 127 x 65 x 9.9mm chassis, 140.8g weight (with battery) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sifteo Cubes go next-generation, square gaming gets more portable (update) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT It's hard to believe, but Sifteo's interactive gaming Cubes first went on sale just over a year ago. Fast forward to the present, and the company has unveiled version two of the MIT-born blocks. If you'll recall, the 1.7-inch squares let you play interactive table-top games, each featuring a 1.5-inch LCD screen, motion sensing and wireless connectivity. With this next-gen variant, Sifteo's improved the graphics, added capacitive touch to the screen (the original acted like a physical button) and doubled the amount of Cubes that can interact at once to 12. The V2 Cubes also come packed with a dedicated, AAA-powered, wireless base station / speaker that stores your titles, sparing the need for a computer to play as was the case with the originals -- an onboard USB allows downloaded files to be transferred from your computers. Developers looking to create content for the device will also pleased to know that Sifteo's releasing its next SDK on October 1st. Ready for some tangibly-cute Cube gameplay? Pre-orders begin today at Sifteo's website, priced at $130 for 3 Cubes with a base station and five games, and $30 for each additional cube. They're set to ship in November, so in the meantime you'll find details in the video demo and press release after the break. Update: For those curious, we've learned that the original Cubes are not compatible with the new ones, but Sifteo has emailed owners with a $50 voucher that they can use toward upgrading.
SIFTEO ANNOUNCES THE NEXT-GENERATION OF SIFTEO CUBES, THE AWARD-WINNING INTERACTIVE GAME SYSTEM Enhanced core technology and A-list game partnerships define next-gen Sifteo Cubes for expanded, portable "Intelligent Play" Sifteo Cubes: Now Portable and Enhanced "We're extremely proud of the original Sifteo Cubes product, and the next-generation Sifteo Cubes are the next step in Sifteo's mission to make classic play interactive," said Dave Merrill, President and co-founder, Sifteo. "Creating a completely portable system has been a top priority since we started Sifteo, and today we're incredibly excited to be achieving that goal and more." Sifteo Cubes will ship with four game titles pre-installed and ready to play out of the box. Players can purchase additional games using Sifteo Sync, the Sifteo desktop software. Purchased games sync automatically when the Sifteo Base is plugged into the computer, then the base and cubes can be tossed into the included soft carrying case for play on the go. The Sifteo Base and Cubes run on AAA batteries. The new Sifteo Cubes interactive game system also expands the number of cubes that can be in play up to 12 (original Sifteo Cubes support six). Adding additional cubes unlocks new levels, puzzles, and special characters, and allows the whole family to come together for hands-on play. Each player can maneuver a cube or two (or three, or more!), as they collaborate or compete to solve puzzles and explore worlds. Sifteo Signs A-List Partners Sifteo and Nickelodeon are developing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ninja Slide for release this November. The new game is part of a four-game contract with Nickelodeon to develop titles "We're very excited to work with Sifteo to produce this brand-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game where players can navigate their favorite Turtle on interactive missions," said Manuel Torres, senior vice president, global toys and consumer electronics at Nickelodeon. "Through Sifteo's innovative platform, we're able to create a state of the art gaming experience for fans looking to reconnect with this celebrated franchise." "We think it's really fitting to be part of the team reinventing a classic franchise like the Turtles," said Jeevan Kalanithi, CEO and co-founder, Sifteo. "We are creating the conditions where the classic characters and play patterns from our childhoods can meet the technology of today." Sifteo's partnership to create Ninja Slide is part of Nickelodeon's larger push to update the franchise since its $60 million acquisition in 2009. Nickelodeon is currently developing a new CGI-animated Turtles television series and will partner with Viacom company Paramount Pictures and director Michael Bay to bring a live action Turtles movie to theaters later next year. Sifteo also has partnered with world-renowned game designer Richard Garfield to create a game set for release in early 2013. "Sifteo Cubes is an innovative game system that truly combines the best of classic, tabletop gameplay with 21st century videogame technology, making it the ultimate platform for the type of games I'd like to create," said Garfield, 49. "I'm excited to partner with Sifteo and am enjoying creating a game that I think will be as fun and engaging as Magic: The Gathering has been for many." Sifteo SDK Invites Game Developers Pricing and Availability Sifteo Cubes: History of Innovation | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Goophone I5 manages to KIRF the 2012 iPhone weeks in advance Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:42 AM PDT Here's something you still don't see every day: a KIRF that's unveiled before the device it's supposed to copy. Although the 2012 iPhone may not show for weeks, the Android-based Goophone I5 is already doing a remarkable job of aping Apple's rumored style, including that two-tone look that we've all seen before. Just don't get notions that it's the bargain of the century. Where most rumors point to a bigger screen for the real thing, the I5 is making do with a 3.5-inch screen similar to that for Goophone's iPhone 4S imitator, the Y5. Performance isn't likely to jolt the engineers in Cupertino out of their seats, either. Mum's the word on whether or not the I5 will beat its inspiration to the store shelf, but we'd wager that it will cost a lot less. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Barnes & Noble continues British invasion, forges pacts with Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:32 AM PDT Barnes & Noble has continued its quest to stock the shelves of United Kingdom bookstores with Nooks, by adding Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles to the list of where you can get one. Those retailers will join John Lewis in carrying the Nook Simple Touch and its Glow Light-toting cousin, giving UK'ers nearly a thousand bricks and mortar sites to get one -- including bookstores at 55 colleges and universities. Those locations will join Barnes & Nobles recently launched online website in selling the e-readers -- but if you like to Touch before buying, the PR is after the break. Barnes & Noble Continues its NOOK Expansion into the UK, Announces Partnership with Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles, To Offer Award-Winning NOOK® Products NOOK Reading Devices Available to Millions of Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles Customers in Stores, Catalogues and Online Beginning in October NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller and leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced partnerships with major retailers in the UK including multi-channel retailer Argos, the leading academic bookseller Blackwell's and award-winning independent bookstore Foyles. These leading retailers will offer the highly sought-after NOOK digital products to reading and entertainment lovers in the UK this autumn. These retail partnerships are an important component of Barnes & Noble's recently announced plans to expand its award-winning, beautifully designed NOOK products to millions of customers in the UK. "Barnes & Noble's NOOK was born in and developed by a bookshop, so it is the ideal digital reading device to be sold by one" "We're excited to work with Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles to introduce our popular NOOK reading experience to an even broader audience in the United Kingdom," said Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at Barnes & Noble. "Argos built its brand on choice and convenience, and with 90 percent of the population living within 10 miles of an Argos store, this literally brings the NOOK experience close to home for millions of UK consumers. Blackwell's has built a reputation on its wide selection of titles and extremely knowledgeable staff, much like Barnes & Noble, and we're delighted to continue in our dedication to the education space. As London's largest independent bookshop chain, Foyles is a trusted name in books and literature in the UK, so we're pleased to work together to bring NOOK and our expansive digital catalog to people passionate about books and reading." The retail partners will first offer Barnes & Noble's top-ranked line of E Ink® Readers – NOOK Simple Touch™ and NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight™ – in time for the holiday shopping season. NOOK will be stocked in more than 700 Argos stores, and prominently promoted through Argos' robust online and telephone catalogue starting in October, providing shoppers easy and convenient ways to learn about, try and purchase NOOK products. "As a leading retailer of technology products in the UK, our team of experts are always focused on the best new products, so we are delighted to partner with Barnes & Noble on the launch of NOOK," said Andy Hannan, Argos Trading Director. "From October, our customers will be able to buy NOOK online and in-store and we are sure it will be one of the must-have gadgets this Christmas." The announcement also marks partnerships between major bookselling retailers in the United States and the United Kingdom. Blackwell's – the leading UK retailer of academic, professional and specialist books – will carry NOOK digital products across an estate which serves 55 universities and major high streets nationwide. "Blackwell's is delighted to announce our partnership with Barnes & Noble to bring NOOK to the UK," said David Prescott, Managing Director of Blackwell's Bookshops and Online. "It was critically important to us that we found a device partner who understood the specific needs of our customer groups. Barnes & Noble's bookselling expertise, academic heritage and market leading NOOK reading devices made them the outstanding choice for Blackwell's customers." Foyles will bring NOOK to its six award-winning, internationally renowned London and Bristol bookshops and its online shop, allowing customers to explore, discover and purchase highly acclaimed NOOK products and content. "Barnes & Noble's NOOK was born in and developed by a bookshop, so it is the ideal digital reading device to be sold by one," said Sam Husain, CEO of Foyles Bookshops. "Foyles is always looking for new ways to recommend books to our customers and with NOOK, our booksellers now have superb hardware at hand to do so. NOOK is a market leader in eBook technology we are delighted to now be able to offer to our customers." Today's announcement reinforces Barnes & Noble's commitment to offer the best choice in reading and tablet products for UK customers, expanding the expected number of UK retail outlets to nearly 800, in addition to various leading online retail platforms offering NOOK products and the company's soon to launch online storefront, www.nook.co.uk. Barnes & Noble is a leader in creating innovative products that provide the best digital reading and entertainment experience for millions of customers today. The award-winning NOOK Simple Touch – the easiest-to-use Reader with the world's best, most paper-like reading screen – and NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, which adds an evenly distributed and adjustable light that's perfect for reading in the dark, are expected to be available through leading UK retailers starting this autumn. Further product, pricing and availability details will be announced in the autumn. Commercial terms of the partnership have not been disclosed. About Barnes & Noble, Inc. Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, operates 691 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 647 college bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through BN.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web's largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than 2.5 million titles in its NOOK Bookstore™ (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble's NOOK® eReading product offering, customers can buy and read digital books and content on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK devices, partner company products, and the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software. Barnes & Noble is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named. Barnes & Noble.com is ranked the number one online retailer in customer satisfaction in the book, music and video category and a Top 10 online retailer overall in customer satisfaction according to ForeSee E-Retail Satisfaction Index (Spring Top 100 Edition). General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com. NOOK®, NOOK Tablet™, NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™, NOOK Simple Touch™, NOOK Color™, Reader's Tablet™, Best-Text™ Technology, VividView™, PagePerfect™, NOOK Store™, NOOK Bookstore™, NOOK Book™, NOOK Newsstand™, NOOK Magazine™, NOOK Newspaper™, NOOK Apps™, FREE NOOK Reading Apps™, NOOK Kids™, NOOK Digital Shop™, NOOK Cloud™, NOOK® for Web, Read In Store™, More In Store™, LendMe®, NOOK Books en español™, NOOK Study™, NOOK Library™, Lifetime Library™ and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like™ are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners. Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio). About NOOK® from Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble's NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like™ with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble's expansive NOOK Store™ of more than 2.5 million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. NOOK Tablet™ is Barnes & Noble's fastest, lightest tablet with the best in entertainment from top services and everything you want in a tablet at a great value ($179 for NOOK Tablet – 8GB, and $199 for NOOK Tablet – 16GB). Both NOOK Tablet and the award-winning NOOK Color™ ($149) feature a stunning 7-inch VividView™ Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love, shop popular apps, connect via e-mail, browse the Web and more. NOOK Simple Touch™ ($99) is the fastest, easiest to use reader with the world's best reading screen and the longest battery life and NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight™ ($139) features innovative lighting technology that makes it perfect for reading at bedtime and on the beach. Barnes & Noble offers NOOK owners Always Free NOOK Support in any of its nearly 700 bookstores, as well as free Wi-Fi connectivity to enjoy the Read In Store™ feature to read NOOK Books™ for free, and the More In Store™ program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe® technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.nook.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Target, Radio Shack, Books-A-Million, OfficeMax, Fred Meyer, P.C. Richard & Son stores, Office Depot, Fry's Electronics, Kmart, hhgregg, Sears and Systemax Inc. retailers. In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its Free NOOK Reading Apps™, available at www.nook.com/freenookapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble's free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad™, iPhone®, iPod touch®, Android™ smartphones and tablets, PC and Mac®. Lifetime Library™ helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOK Study™ (www.nookstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education, NOOK Kids™ (www.nookkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children, and NOOK Books en español™ (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooksenespanol), the first-ever Spanish language digital bookstore in the United States. For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOK Book releases, Free Friday™ NOOK Books and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/nookBN and www.facebook.com/nook. About Argos Argos is the UK's leading multi-channel retailer, offering more than 33,000 products from around 750 stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, online at www.argos.co.uk, over the telephone and uniquely, through Argos TV. Argos continues to be the UK's largest high street retailer online with over 430 million website visits annually. Argos serves around 130 million customers a year through its store network. In the financial year to February 2012, Argos sales were £3.9 billion and it employed some 31,000 people across the business. Argos is part of Home Retail Group, the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer. About Blackwell's Blackwell's is the leading academic bookseller in the UK with shops serving 55 higher education institutions across England, Scotland and Wales. It has built an international reputation for bookselling excellence with links to academic institutions and libraries around the globe and has continued to expand its UK base on high streets and in university campuses up and down the country. Today Blackwell's has been trading for over 130 years from its world-famous flagship store on Broad Street in Oxford. Blackwell's booksellers are renowned for their expertise, depth of knowledge and love of books, a tradition which has been maintained since the first Blackwell shop opened its doors in 1879. About Foyles Foyles, award-winning National Bookseller of the Year and Children's Bookseller of the Year at this year's Bookseller Industry Awards, has bookshops located in the traditional home of bookselling on Charing Cross Road and in four other London landmark locations. Foyles at Royal Festival Hall opened in 2005, Foyles in St Pancras International and Foyles in Westfield London opened in 2008 and Foyles in Westfield Stratford City opened in November 2011. The first Foyles shop outside London for seventy years, Foyles Cabot Circus, opened in Bristol in March 2011. The Foyles ecommerce site www.foyles.co.uk has 15 million books and over 230,000 eBooks for sale, with live stock availability from all its bookshops and details of upcoming literary events and book signings. Website customers receive a 15% discount on their purchases, with free delivery in the UK to all stores and on orders of £10 and over. Foyles was founded by brothers William and Gilbert Foyle in 1903 and became one of the most famous bookshops in the world. A multi-million pound refurbishment was completed in 2004. Well known for its breadth and range of stock and the expertise of its booksellers, Foyles bookshops remains family owned with Christopher Foyle as its non-executive Chairman. Sam Husain, only the second non-family CEO in Foyles' history, is working with his fellow executive directors and senior managers to maintain Foyles as a book lovers' destination of choice for the 21st century. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Panasonic's 103-inch glasses-less 3D plasma panel arrives at IFA (eyes-on) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:01 AM PDT While it might not be as huge as the Super Hi Vision panel lingering in the same darkened theater, Panasonic's new 103-inch demonstration display has the ability to offer up a 3D view to five different viewers -- as long as they're in the right visual sweet spot. The effect is subtle, natural, although colors felt little bit muted compared to the 145-inch prototype, with the demo videos drawing us in to its demo reel, rather than pushing out an image. The plasma display panel prototype is also glasses-free, with the 4K2K screen able to push out enough pixels to offer these multiple viewing angles. But again, there's no substitute for being there yourself. Joseph Volpe contributed to this report. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub! | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Digital My Passport for Mac portable hard drives get stamped for USB 3.0 and 2TB capacity Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT If you prefer your Passports to sport the same Mac sensibilities as your go-to work machines, Western Digital has upgraded said portable hard drives for the aforementioned laptop variety. The My Passport for Mac family of external HDDs have received the same USB 3.0 boost and increased 2TB capacity that the regular ol' My Passport got cozy with back in the spring. However, the Apple flavored offerings tout Time Machine compatibility and a ruggedized WD Nomad casing that should keep your files safe from dust, moisture and unintentional drops. Options include 500GB and 1TB units as well, with prices ranging from $99 on up to $200 for the 2TB portable drive. The entire trio is available now and a few more details await in the full press release that follows. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Digital MyBook VelociRaptor Duo: Thunderbolt, 2TB capacity, and a whopping $900 price tag Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT If you fancy Western Digital's MyBook Thunderbolt Duo, the outfit has just announced a new external storage offering that also sports the aforementioned connection. The MyBook VelociRaptor Duo packs two 1TB 10,000 RPM WD drives that carry the same prehistoric moniker -- as the name suggests (in both cases). These dual heavy-hitters create a 2TB repository for HD video, 3D rendering and the like while boasting SSD-like speeds of up to 400MB/sec and both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations. Of course, if one of these drives isn't taxing enough on your savings account, you can daisy chain a few for a more robust storage setup. Time Machine compatibility? You betcha. The unit works with Apple's backup system immediately and is user serviceable should the need arise. For those ready splurge on a couple of VelociRaptors of their very own, the Duo is on sale now. If you're not quite ready to commit your funds, consult the full PR below for the nitty gritty. WD® INTRODUCES ITS FASTEST MY BOOK® EXTERNAL HDD SYSTEM EVER My Book VelociRaptor™ Duo Combines Extreme Speed of Two 1 TB 10,000 RPM Hard Drives with Revolutionary Thunderbolt™ Technology IRVINE, Calif. – Aug. 30, 2012 – WD®, a subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), and a world leader in external storage and connected home solutions, is combining two high-speed technologies to produce one of the fastest and most robust dual-storage systems ever offered. Supported by the Mac OS X operating system, the new My Book® VelociRaptor™ Duo dual-drive storage system becomes the ultimate storage drive for performance hungry Mac computer users and creative professionals. My Book VelociRaptor Duo provides ultimate speed and performance with two 1 TB 10,000 RPM WD VelociRaptor drives along with two Thunderbolt™ ports. The 2 TB dual-drive storage system is ideal for editing high resolution video, 3D rendering, graphic design, and other demanding digital media applications. This boost in performance delivers solid state drive (SSD) -like data transfer rates of up to 400 MB/s for greater work-flow productivity. The dual-drive storage system offers RAID 0 for performance or RAID 1 for protection; and the twin Thunderbolt ports offer daisy-chaining multiple My Book VelociRaptor Duo drives and other high performance peripherals without impacting data transfer speeds or performance. The My Book VelociRaptor Duo also comes complete with a Thunderbolt cable in the box and is user-serviceable. Photographers, graphic designers and post-production professionals can conduct several high intensity tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering, while completing other graphics-intensive projects. My Book VelociRaptor Duo customers will now have the ability to transfer 22 GB full-length HD movies in less than 65 seconds, 2000 5 MB pictures in less than 33 seconds and over 500 5 MB songs in less than 8 seconds. "The My Book VelociRaptor Duo is the fastest and most reliable high performance consumer storage device on the market today," explains Jody Bradshaw, senior director of WD's consumer storage solutions group. "Creative professionals now have access to a super-charged storage drive that will keep pace with even the most demanding projects. Daisy-chaining multiple My Book VelociRaptor Duo devices together offers even greater speed, more capacity and flexibility." While RAID 0 maximizes the drive's speed and capacity, RAID 1 support allows users to create a second copy of their digital content on the drive for added protection, security and peace of mind. The drive also provides a JBOD (just a bunch of disks) option for users running a Windows® operating system on a Mac. Additional features found on the My Book VelociRaptor Duo dual-drive storage system include out-of-the-box compatibility with Apple Time Machine and HFS + Journaled for Mac computers; capability for multi-stream workflows; and a 3-year limited warranty. Price and Availability | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 makes official debut at IFA 2012: a 10-inch hybrid Android 4.0 slate Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:50 AM PDT There may not be much mystery left surrounding the IdeaTab S2110, but Lenovo's making it official at IFA anyhow. The hybrid slate, first shown off at this past CES as the IdeaTab S2, now has a new name, but aside from that not much has changed since we saw it creep onto the company's site. The 10.1-inch convertible, outfitted with a 1280 x 800 IPS display capable of 420 nits of brightness, runs a skinned version of Android 4.0 atop Qualcomm's dual-core 8060A CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and packs a dual 1.3-megapixel front facing / 5-megapixel rear camera setup, as well as support for WCDMA / EVDO, Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi. It'll be offered in two configurations -- 16GB and 32GB -- but alas, there's no option for expansion via microSD. For users dead set on expanding that capacity, an optional keyboard dock will be made available that not only augments the S2110's storage via full SD slot, but also extends battery life by an extra 10 hours. The tab's already on sale, so if you've got $399 to burn for the base model, or $499 for the dock-enhanced model, head on over to the source below and get your credit card at the ready. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:48 AM PDT Lenovo is expanding its IdeaPad line to include some new S Series ultraportables. Today the company announced the 13.3-inch S300, the 14-inch S400 and the (also 14-inch) S405. These models sport a metallic finish, with color options including crimson red, silver grey and cotton-candy pink. All three models measure 0.86 inches (21.9mm) and weigh 3.97 pounds (1.8kg), and, aside from screen size, the main difference between them is processor type. The S300 and S400 will be available with Core i3 or Core i5 CPUs, while the S405 will ship with an AMD chip (up to a quad-core A8 processor). Storage options include a 500GB, 750GB or 1TB hard drive, and the S400 and S405 are configurable with a 32GB SSD. Lenovo says you can expect up to five hours of battery life from these machines. They'll go on sale in August (aka now) for $499 and up. Though all models will ship with Windows 7, they'll be eligible for an upgrade to Windows 8. Check out our hands-on below.
Zach Honig contributed to this report. Lenovo Ushers in New Affordable, Thin and Light S Series Laptops Full-featured laptops feature ultraportable design with mainstream performance and price Measuring just 21.9mm thin (less than one inch) and weighing 1.8kg (less than four lbs), the S Series features a sleek exterior design with a stylish metallic finish powered by either 3rd generation Intel® CoreTM or AMD A-Series processors. The S Series laptops combine comfort, simplicity and responsiveness to give consumers an inexpensive PC with quality construction and solid performance. "As a global leader in the PC market, Lenovo's success rests on our ability to deliver consumer-centric innovations in products that deliver a blend of mobility, performance and price," said Bai Peng, vice president and general manager, IdeaPad Business Unit, Lenovo. "Customers don't just want a functional product, though; they also want one that speaks to their sense of style and individuality. The new Lenovo IdeaPad S Series laptops give everyday consumers exactly what they need by matching small size and light weight with the power needed for everything from Web browsing to productivity tasks, all in an affordable package." Powerful and intelligent All of the new S Series laptops offer Microsoft Windows 7 Home Professional and will be eligible for the Microsoft Windows 8 upgrade program. Designed for Windows 8, the updated S Series' intelligent touchpad gives users a more controlled experience when scrolling and zooming, while the AccuType keyboard with individual rounded keys provides a platform for comfortable and accurate typing. Users can also take advantage of innovative ease-of-use features such as Lenovo Quick Start "instant on" functionality to get online in seconds. Even data protection is made easy with Lenovo's OneKey Rescue System, which offers an amazingly simple and quick way to back up and restore data, recover corrupted system files and run a complete virus scan. Slim and stylish multimedia companion | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:46 AM PDT Lenovo hasn't taken much care to enshroud its trio of newly announced Android slates in any kind of secrecy. The tabs have been teased on the company's site for some time, but that's not holding the Chinese outfit back from making an official announcement at IFA 2012. Taking a slight step down in size from the S2110, the 9-inch IdeaTab A2109 ups the internal ante of its more premium stablemate with a 1.2GHz quad-core Tegra 3 buffered by 1GB DDR3 RAM, while also packing in a 1,280 x 800 LED display, 1.3-megapixel front-facing / 3-megapixel rear cameras, SRS sound, and ports for a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB and micro-HDMI. And for users more accustomed to quality builds, the slate shouldn't disappoint as its rear encasement is of the all-aluminum variety and lending to its 1.3 pounds (570g) of bulk. Storage for this Android 4.0 slate is not as robust as its larger counterpart, but the 16GB allotted is expandable via microSD. The tab's already available online and at Best Buy, so if you want to call this your own, prepare to part with $299.
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| NASA completes successful parachute drop simulation for Orion spacecraft Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:45 AM PDT NASA has always used the desert as its own personal playground, and we'd imagine that its team had a blast in Arizona yesterday, as a mock parachute compartment of the Orion spacecraft was dropped from 25,000 feet above Earth. The dart-shaped object experienced free fall for 5,000 feet, at which point, drogue chutes were deployed at 20,000 feet. This was then followed by pilot chutes, which then activated the main chutes. As you'd imagine, these things are monsters: the main parachutes -- three in all -- each measure 116 feet wide and weigh more than 300 pounds. Better yet, the mission was successful. Naturally, all of this is in preparation for Orion's first test flight -- currently scheduled for 2014 -- where the unmanned craft will travel 15 times further than the ISS and jam through space at 20,000 mph before returning to Earth. Yesterday's outing is merely one in a series of drop tests, and yes, it's important to remove any unknowns from the situation: eventually, humans will be along for the ride. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Panasonic's 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:44 AM PDT Tucked away into a dark corner of Panasonic's booth is the clear highlight of the outfit's IFA 2012 showcase: a 145-inch 8K plasma display panel. Developed in partnership with Japan's NHK, the prototype is merely a proof of concept for the broadcaster's planned 2020 launch of Super Hi Vision TV. In person, the flat screen is truly awe-inspiring, offering such richness of detail that even up-close we weren't able to discern any pixels, while colors appeared balanced and natural. Overall, the image quality -- 16 times that of regular full HD -- nearly apes the real-world images it replicates. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait sometime before this tech trickles down to the mass market level. In the meantime, content yourself with a brief video demo after the break. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!
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| Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:44 AM PDT Lenovo just announced its IdeaTab A2107 at IFA here today. The ruggedized Android 4.0 slate, powered by a dual-core MTK Cortex A9 CPU clocked at 1GHz, adds a buffer of protection to its 7-inch expanse with a soft matte, roll cage enclosure -- perfect for the accident-prone or the outdoorsy demo it's being marketed toward. The entry-level tab's 1,024 x 600 display is no screamer, putting it on par with the very 2011 Kindle Fire, but the company has loaded it up with radios for WCDMA / GSM, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio via built-in antenna. As far as storage goes, users will be able to choose among WiFi-only or 3G models in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB configurations, all expandable via microSD. No pricing or release information has been made available, aside from a vague September 2012 window, so if you're keen on this modest tablet, sate your appetite with the gallery below.
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| Samsung 22-inch Transparent Showcase Panel eyes-on at IFA 2012 Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:40 AM PDT What's the future of advertising? If Samsung has any say so, it's going to be transparent showcase displays. Here at IFA 2012, the company demoed one such 22-inch, fishbowl-like case outfitted with a see-through front panel capable of transmitting video imagery, in addition to hosting a physical product within. The glass enclosure's no mere dummy unit, as it's also outfitted with speakers, a built-in PC, LED strip and offers the option to include a touch screen. To highlight just what this kit's capable of, a looped Gucci ad played on its front screen, transitioning from near solid to completely transparent. It's really something that needs to be seen IRL, but take a tour of the gallery below to get a glimpse of what's to come.
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| Visualized: Samsung's human, Galaxy Note-powered taxi Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:23 AM PDT That's the last time we take a taxi in Berlin. After a fairly harrowing journey across the city to tonight's Samsung IFA event, we reached our destination and spotted a clearly superior mode of transportation: a fleet of pedal-powered cabs sporting Galaxy Note 10.1s in the back. Of course, we probably would have spent more time admiring the glory that is Berlin, rather than the 10-inch screen, but it's nice to have the option there when we need it. Zach Honig contributed to this report. |
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