Hasta La Gadget!

Multiple reports have been surfacing over the last several weeks that hints Microsoft isn’t doing well with its Surface line of tablets. Yesterday we mentioned that a source in Microsoft’s supply chain said that surface RT tablet production orders had been chopped in half due to low demand. That same source tipped that the Microsoft Surface Pro might be coming earlier and at a reduced price.

Microsoft also announced yesterday the official pricing for the Surface Pro tablets, and the prices were right in line with what we had expected all along. The 64 GB version of the tablet alone will sell for $899 while 128 GB version will sell for $999. Neither price includes the slick keyboard accessory.

It’s not exactly clear how much they keyboard accessory will cost, but a good guess will be in the $120 and up range. While Microsoft is talking pricing for the Surface Pro tablet, it also let slip a little tidbit about battery life for the high-end tablet. Word is that the Surface Pro tablets will get roughly half the usable battery life as the Surface RT tablets offer.

The Surface RT tablets are able to offer between eight and 10 hours of runtime by most accounts. That means that the Surface Pro is only going to be good for about 4 to 5 hours between charges. I don’t think those numbers will make mobile professionals happy in the least.

[via ZDNet]

Microsoft Surface Pro battery life is half what the Surface RT offers is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Just in case you were wondering whatever happened to that delayed-by-lawsuit 10-disc Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled Blu-ray set that captured a full series of the Disney / Marvel movies, Amazon is notifying pre-orderers (previously mollified with free The Avengers discs) of the new release date: April 2nd. While the original suitcase has been scrapped due to a licensing dispute with its designer, a recent post on Marvel’s blog revealed the set will still come in a not-exactly-S.H.I.E.L.D. briefcase complete with glowing Tesseract inside. The movies, bonus content, art cases and all are still intact, however with the delay have come a few extras. Buyers can expect an early preview of Iron Man 3 and the Phase Two series of flicks, as well as prop replicas and never-before-seen extras from the earlier films. The bad news? The price appears to have gone up, flashing a $219 MSRP and current selling for $197 on Amazon. While you’re thinking that over, check after the break for a clip from Thor that didn’t make the theatrical cut.

[Thanks, Jason]

Continue reading Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Blu-ray set is back on, ships April 2nd

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Marvel Blog, Amazon

As publicity stunts go, this one certainly ticks the boxes marked “festive.” General Motors‘ British subsidiary Vauxhall commissioned designer Gary Card to cook up this Christmas tree, cunningly made out of parts from a Vauxhall Ampera, which is a re-badged Chevrolet Volt to you and me. Visit it at night and the leaves will slowly open up, revealing the mechanical inner-workings that lurk beneath its frontage. If you’re based in that London, you can go to the Kings Cross Filling Station, where it’s on show until January 6th.

Continue reading Visualized: A Christmas tree made out of Chevrolet Volt parts

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Android Police noted on Wednesday that Mexico had appeared on the list of countries with Google Maps Navigation support. Soon after, Google announced via @GoogleMexico on Twitter that Maps Navigation is now available for Android in Mexico. Users can grab the beta app via the Google Play Store.

Mexico is one of many countries that have been added to the service in the recent past, joining the likes of France, Germany, Denmark, Hong Kong, and dozens of other locations. The app is currently in beta, something it will remind you of frequently when you go to use it. As many users can attest to, however, it works exceptionally well.

Navigation can be launched by tapping the blue triangle icon, at which point one will be presented with a few different options, including viewing starred locations and adding directions. Directions can be either typed or spoken, something more convenient for those times you need last minute help while behind the driver’s wheel.

The app can be toggled between driving and walking, allowing users to utilize it in a variety of situations. Certain requirements can be specified when getting directions, such as only routes that avoid toll roads or highways. Navigation can also be used to view a map with one’s present location, which is tracked with a blue dot as the user moves around.

[via Android Community]

Google Maps Navigation now available in Mexico is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Given the subject matter, this is usually where the author waxes philosophical about whether — having been accepted by a major international museum — games are indeed “art.” We’re gonna skip that needless exercise today and simply tell you that the New York City Museum of Modern Art is officiating its intake of 14 video game classics as the start of an ongoing gaming collection, set to go on display in March 2013 in the MoMA’s Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries — the same galleries that house an original iPod and more. The games range from Buckner & Garcia inspiration Pac-Man to modern classic Portal, and even includes some lesser known gems (vib-ribbon, anyone?). The MoMA blog calls this initial selection just the “seedbed” for a chunkier collection of around 40 titles, all of which will be part of a “new category of artworks” at the iconic museum. Head below for the full first 14.

Continue reading NYC Museum of Modern Art opens game collection with 14 classics, exhibiting in March 2013

Filed under: Gaming, Software

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Source: Museum of Modern Art