Archive for January, 2010.
Um, okay? Just days after Apple introduced its exceedingly underwhelming iPad while simultaneously attempting to convince that masses that said product was the portable gaming device they had been waiting their whole lives for, Sony’s own hardware marketing honcho has come forward and extolled Cupertino’s decision to finally make the gaming leap. In a recent interview, John stated the following:
“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony. When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”
While we can’t seem to shake the suspicion that Mr. Koller is drawing links that probably don’t exist (at least fully) in reality, research firm NPD does show that sales of the PSP have “nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007.” Of course, it’s not like the PSP has gained functionality, become the home of more than a few killer titles and spawned a UMD-less sibling since the heydays of ’07, but hey — who are we to question the suit?
Sony’s John Koller: Apple’s entrance into gaming market drives consumers to PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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According to a report in Wired (and a source whom the publication says “could not be named”), Steve Jobs spoke to an audience of Apple employees at a town hall in Cupertino and… pulled zero punches. If you believe what you read, Jobs tackled a handful of major issues that have been buzzing the company lately, namely its run-ins with Google on a number of topics, and the lack of Flash support in its mobile devices (most notably in the upcoming iPad). On Google, Jobs had this to say: “We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them.” According to the attendee, another topic was brought up but Steve wouldn’t let the Google issue go, stating his thoughts on the company’s famous ‘Don’t be evil’ line. In Steve’s words? “It’s bullshit.”
Furthermore Jobs had a handful of choice words for Adobe, calling the company “lazy” and claiming that “Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it’s because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5.” Of course, these amazing nuggets of wisdom come from a source which Engadget cannot verify, so it’s possible there are misquotes or items taken out of context, though from the sounds of things, this kind of talk falls right in line with what we’d expect from the man who said Microsoft “had no taste” and makes “really third-rate products.” We eagerly await Eric Schmidt’s response.
CE-Oh no he didn’t? Part LXVII: Steve Jobs lashes out at Google, calls Adobe ‘lazy’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Not sure if you’ve heard, but PMA is just around the corner. You know — that camera show? At any rate, Photo Rumors has a trio of new leaks to swoon over this fine evening, starting with black and white (saywha?) shots of Olympus‘ supposedly forthcoming SP800 (or SP-800UZ, if we’re talking specifics). The megazoom shooter is said to boast a 30x optical zoom, 14 megapixel sensor and image stabilization, though no further details have been let loose just let. Moving on, Fujifilm seems to have a whole gaggle of new cams planned for release this week, including a megazoom of its own and a whole host of point-and-shoot offerings. Finally, Hasselblad is expected to one-up the H3D by introducing the H4D, which we fully suspect will have a 489 megapixel sensor and a price tag that far exceeds 93 percent of salaries here in America. Hit the links below for the goods, and hang tight — PMA kicks off in earnest in just a few weeks.
PMA leak roundup: Olympus, Fujifilm and Hasselblad plan new shooters originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Photo Rumors 1, 2, 3 | Email this | Comments
Yes, we realize that it’s hard to provide too much visual differentiation between tablet PCs with large, ebony bezels, but we can’t help but think that this 8.9-inch multitouch tablet looks a lot like another, recently announced 9.7-inch multitouch tablet. Nevertheless this one’s quite different on the inside, delivering “the web without compromise,” meaning full browser support with flash courtesy of Windows 7 on an Atom N270 at 1.6GHz, with 2GB of DDR2 memory and a 32GB SSD with SD expansion. Yeah, those specs are familiar too, and while we’re not thinking this will deliver the sort of snappy performance seen on the iPad, it will certainly be a lot more functional. Battery life is only four hours, but at least it’s user-replaceable, and a price of $599 matches the 32GB iPad. Likewise it will be available in March — or you can get a non-multitouch prototype for $780 right this very moment. If, that is, you speak enough French to manage the order page.
[Thanks, Jean-Baptiste]
8.9-inch ExoPC Slate has iPad looks, netbook internals, Windows 7 soul originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Smell that? That’s a smell of a real man’s budget computer, doing real manly things like task processing and pixel churning. MSI’s new CX420, CR420 and CR720 laptops aren’t much for looks, but under the hood you can find new-gen Core i Series processors across the board and ATI Radeon HD5470 graphics in the CX420 (pictured). Sure, there’s only Intel integrated HD graphics in the CR420 and CR720, and the 1366 x 768 14-inch displays in the CX420 / CR420 are a bit of a letdown, but knowing MSI we’re sure the prices for this trio will more than make up for any mild disappointments on the spec sheet. Hit up the PR for the full breakdown, but there’s no release date to be found just yet.
MSI’s new CX420, CR420 and CR720 laptops put Intel’s new processors to good, workaday use originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Laptoping | 
MSI CX420 / CR420, MSI CR720 | Email this | Comments
Even while calling Chicago home, Laura Hawkins Grimes is a country bumpkin. Her scenic rural spread has three dairy farms, two ponds and a log cabin, all skirted by a white picket fence as scarecrows stand sentry over her blackberries. The best part is the 40-year-old sex therapist never has to leave her computer to tend to it all. She’s one of tens of millions of occupants of “FarmVille,” a near-utopian, wildly popular online fantasy game where folks rush to another neighbor’s aid, ribbons readily come as rewards, plants don’t get diseased and there’s never a calamitous frost.
Kira Marchenese works in online communications, and so she arrived on a business trip to New York earlier this week equipped with all the gadgets you might expect: personal smartphone, work smartphone, laptop, iPod touch. Problem is, her hotel room didn’t have enough outlets to keep the darned devices charged. “I unplugged the lamp and still couldn’t do it,” she noted ruefully. “At least half the things I’m carrying right now are just dead hunks of metal.” So, though communications is her world, Marchenese has no plans to rush out and buy the iPad.
Laws banning drivers from using handheld cellphones while behind the wheel don’t help to reduce crashes, a study by the Highway Loss Data Institute has found. The institute, which is affiliated with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, calculated monthly collision claims in New York, the District of Columbia, Connecticut and California before and after these states passed such laws. They compared this data to data from nearby jurisdictions that do not have specific laws banning the use of the devices.
Lenovo already roll out a few
AMD-based ThinkPads earlier this month, and it’s now also expanded things to its IdeaPad line with its new G455A model, which looks to be exclusive to China for now. Sliding in right above Lenovo’s netbook offerings, this one packs a 14-inch, 1,366 x 768 display, along with a 2.1GHz AMD Athlon II M320 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4550 graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 for an OS — among other standard fare — all for a price tag of 3,999 yuan, or just under $600. Still no indication of a release over here, but this one looks to be available in China right now.
Lenovo introduces AMD-based IdeaPad G455A for China originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Alienware didn’t drop too many details about how it was revising its M15x and M17x gaming lappies back at CES, but now both of those are finally ready to be ordered by the drooling masses. The “little” guy is available with a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processor, your choice of a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M or 1GB GeForce GTX 260M, a 1,600 x 900 or 1,920 x 1080 15.6-inch WLED panel, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 250GB HDD (or a 128GB / 256GB SSD for those with the coinage) and plenty of lights to go around. The big brother can be ordered with a Core i7-920XM processor, dual 1GB GeForce GTX 280M GPUs (or a pair of Radeon Mobility HD 4870s), optional Blu-ray drive and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Follow the links below if you’re eager to be first in line — the M15x gets going at $1,199 (and should ship early next month), while the M17x starts at $1,799 with a Core i7.
[Thanks, Joshua]
Alienware’s Core i7-equipped M15x and M17x now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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M15x Order Page, M17x Order Page | Email this | Comments
