Hasta La Gadget!

Let’s face it — smartphones (namely, iOS and Android devices) are slowly chipping away at the portable gaming market. If you recall, Apple took a nice slice of the market-share pie — and as you’ll notice in the picture above, we’re seeing the same trend this time around. According to data from Flurry and NPD Group, iOS and Android are earning a sizable chunk of the revenue in the portable gaming software sphere, with the Nintendo DS’s dominant market share dropping from 70 percent in 2009 to just 57 percent in 2010 to accommodate the newcomers. We may be seeing the decrease in relative revenue because the PSP and DS are on the way out to make room for the NGP and 3DS — however, this chart speaks only of the current-gen portables. But hey, it’s easy for almost anyone to spend a single buck on a full-fledged game, right? Head past the break for some more videogame revenue stats, if you please.

Continue reading iOS and Android continue chipping away at mobile gaming market, consoles remain strong

iOS and Android continue chipping away at mobile gaming market, consoles remain strong originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Apple released its redesigned MacBook Air in October 2010, much was made of the switch to flash storage using a custom-built Mini PCI Express form factor SSD drive. It took a few weeks but these SSDs would ultimately be released as the commercially available Toshiba Blade X-gale SSD module, model TS128C. Now we’re seeing user reports showing MacBook Airs equipped with a second, even faster SSD with a SM128C part number — the “SM” hinting at its presumed Samsung manufacturing origins. Samsung’s SSD manages up to 260MBps read and 210MBps write speeds compared to Toshiba’s 210MBps read and 185MBps write performance. Of course, it’s hardly unusual for Apple to multi-source components. And a recent decision to source parts from Korea’s Samsung would have been a smart move to keep just-in-time supply lines fully stocked following the spate of disasters in Toshiba’s home country of Japan. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any way of confirming which SSD you’re about to purchase without cracking open the retail box and running the OS X System Profiler. Good luck with that.

Some MacBook Airs sporting faster blade SSDs, probably from Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viewsonic’s G Tablet may not have made much of splash when it debuted last fall, but it’s certainly been picking up a bit of steam as of late. A recent price drop brought its cost down to just $280, and hackers have even managed to overclock its processor to 1.4GHz and get it running CyanogenMod 7 to boot. Now Viewsonic itself has given the tablet a further boost, with a new firmware update bringing support for both Flash and USB peripherals, which can apparently also be used with a docking station. The update’s of the over-the-air variety, and should be waiting for you if you haven’t turned on your G Tablet in the past few days.

Viewsonic G Tablet gets firmware update with Flash, USB peripheral support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s only been 109 days since Meizu’s remarkable launch of the M9 Android, but as we all know, there’s nothing stopping our man Jack Wong from teasing his next flagship phone on his forum. Previously known as the M9II, Wong has now renamed this 4-inch handset to MX — apparently short for “meng xiang” or “dream” in Mandarin Chinese, though X can also cunningly double up as the Roman numeral for 10 here. Also shared is the above real-life shot of an MX mock-up — not far off from the earlier render — which is appropriately seen chillaxing on the CEO’s bed. In a separate forum thread, we’re told that HDMI and coaxial digital audio outputs will be present on the MX, and a 16GB model will be released by the end of the year probably for ¥3,580 ($548). While this is a significant jump from the M9’s ¥2,699 ($413), Wong insists that both phones share the same profit margin, and frankly, this will still be a pretty good deal for some Cortex-A9 goodness under a larger screen. We’ll be right here waiting for you, Meizu; or we could just pop by your factory again some time.

Update: Jack Wong’s also confirmed HSPA+ support for some sweet 21Mbps download speed. The phone’s getting better by the minute!

Continue reading Meizu MX to be Jack Wong’s next dream phone, coming with HDMI-out by year’s end (update: HSPA+)

Meizu MX to be Jack Wong’s next dream phone, coming with HDMI-out by year’s end (update: HSPA+) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

The world of renewable energy received a jolt of innovation this week as Inhabitat reported on a groundbreaking new solar technology that could render photovoltaics obsolete — see Engadget’s take right here — and a plan to use common oven rust to generate immense amounts of cheap energy. We also saw green power projects pick up steam around the world as Pakistan announced it will build its first on-grid solar system, Chevron kicked off plans to invest in wind power for Kazakhstan, and Eriksson Architects unveiled an energy-efficient geodesic gemstone city for China.

Green transportation tech blasted off as we took a look at the insane 23-passenger electric superbus that can hit 155MPH and the Phoenix roadster – the world’s first biodegradable car. Volkswagen also turned heads as it unveiled an all-electric concept version of the classic VW Bus, and we saw sustainable transportation set sail as Zyvex unveiled the nanotech Piranha boat, which is 75% lighter, 40% stronger, and 400% more fuel-efficient than aluminum vessels. Finally, we showcased several hot new green vehicles as the Shanghai auto show began to rev up — Luxgen’s all-electric Neora concept car and Peugeot’s Hybrid SXC.

In other news, this week we brought you the best and brightest green products from the 2011 Milan Furniture Fair – from an energy-absorbing lamp that never needs to be plugged in to the world’s first color-changing OLED panels to a stunning pendant light made entirely from recycled drink cartons. We also showcased several designs for greener electronics – a revolutionary paper alloy that could enclose the gadgets of tomorrow and a gorgeous bamboo MacBook case – and we shared 7 ways to get your kid excited about photography.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: crazy concept cars, the Milan Furniture Fair, and new solar technology originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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