Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft is prepping another update to the Xbox 360 dashboard and, as usual, that means some folks will be able to get an early peek courtesy of the company’s preview program. While there’s still no date set for a roll-out, those interested in participating this time around can now put their name in for consideration in the program, which is said to be a more automated process than before. As for the dashboard update itself, it boasts a new design for “integrated Kinect and controller navigation,” new “Beacons” for playing online with friends, deeper Facebook integration, and cloud storage for your saved games and Xbox Live profile. According to Microsoft’s Major Nelson, “other features and entertainment partner apps” may also become available during the program period. Hit the source link below for the complete details.

Microsoft opens up latest Xbox Live dashboard preview program originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  Major Nelson  | Email this | Comments

The NFC Forum just scored a few high profile allies in the form of Sharp, ZTE and HTC. The handset manufacturers were among a slew of companies to join up as members, with Sharp and ZTE hitting the Associate level and HTC signing on at the Implementer level. Now let the mobile hazing begin!

Continue reading Sharp, HTC and ZTE learn the NFC Forum secret handshake

Sharp, HTC and ZTE learn the NFC Forum secret handshake originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Scoop  |   | Email this | Comments

We’ve heard plenty of you are receiving various error messages while attempting to install iOS 5, and some of us haven’t had much luck either. But have you been able to upgrade? Let us know in the poll below, and jump past the break to sound off in the comments.

View Poll

Poll: Have you upgraded to iOS 5? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Ladies and gentlemen, the price of Android tablets is officially in a state of rapid flux. Earlier this summer, it looked like the Archos G9 tablets were going to shake things up at their $299 and $369 price tags. Later on, Lenovo one-upped Archos with a big-name Android tablet at just $199. Amazon, of course, […]

The ASUS ZenBook measures a mere .11 inches (3 mm) at its thinnest point. Image: ASUS

Hoping to shatter the dominance of the MacBook Air in the ultraportable laptop market, ASUS officially launched its slick brushed aluminum ZenBooks yesterday.

The notebooks are available in 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models, and the 11-incher, the UX21, starts at just under $1,000. It comes standard with a 128 GB hybrid solid state drive, and base models feature an Intel i5 processor (i7 upgrades are available). The ZenBook runs Windows 7 and is part of Intel’s “Ultrabook” line, which includes notebooks that are less than one-inch thick and in the sub-$1,000 price range.

The ZenBook is super thin: 0.11 inches at its thinnest point and 0.35 inches at its thickest, validating claims that it’s the thinnest notebook available (the MacBook Air is slightly thicker at its largest point, .68 inches). The UX21 weighs in at just under two and a half pounds (2.43 lbs), while the 13-inch model, the UX31, tips the scales at 2.84 lbs. Compared to respective MacBook Air models, the UX21 is slightly heavier and the UX31 is slightly lighter.

When the super-thin MacBook Air debuted in 2008, it carved a niche out of the notebook market. Super light and 11- to 13-inches in size, it was perfect for toting in the wild, and more powerful than similarly small but lower-speced netbooks (and, in the case of the 2011 MacBook Air, just as powerful as the larger 2010 MacBook Pros). The MacBook Air proved thin is in, and now there are several lookalikes — er, competitors — available, such as the Acer Aspire and the ZenBook, which we first previewed in May.

The ZenBook features an “Instant On” capability that allows it to boot from standby mode in only two seconds, and can last for up to two weeks on a single battery charge in standby.

The ASUS ZenBook is available now, starting at $999 for the UX21 and $1,099 for the UX31.