Hasta La Gadget!

RIM has unveiled the new name for its BlackBerry App World: BlackBerry World. Not much of a change, yet the difference is there, and will be rolled out in January. The name change was announced at BlackBerry Jam Asia in Bangkok, along with a few other tidbits of info related to the name change. Expect to see the change take place before the January 30th BlackBerry 10 event.

Developers who received the beta operating system today will see the new icon for the storefront. The name change is likely due to inclusion of music, movies and TV shows, making it more than just an app store, and helping position it to compete with the likes of Google Play and Apple’s App Store. The rest of the details, RIM says, we have to wait until January to hear.

Users with BlackBerry 5, 6, 7, and 7.1 smartphones will see the new name, but will not have access to the video and music content. PlayBook users, however, will have access to both via the Music Store and the Video Store apps. Less you worry, the current appworld.blackberry.com URL will be maintained for apps already in place.

As we reported earlier this month, RIM plans to unveil two handsets at the January 30th event alongside the new platform. Details about the phones are unknown, but one handset is expected to be a pure touchscreen, while the other is rumored to be a QWERTY handset. BlackBerry 10 entered testing with over 50 carriers back in October.

[via Blackberry]

RIM changes App World to BlackBerry World is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Staples is set to launch its own 3D printing service in 2013 called Staples Easy 3D. Alas, however, it is slated for launch in Belgium and the Netherlands, so most of us will have to shelve our 3D models for now. This comes after a deal made between Staples and Mcor Technologies, bringing 3D printing to the average consumer.

Staples Easy 3D will be something the average consumer will find easy to utilize. The service works by having a customer upload a model file to Staples Office Center, at which point it will be printed. Once finished, depending on the customer’s preference, the model will either be shipped or can be picked up at the nearest Staples store.

President of Staples Printing Systems Division in Europe Wouter Van Dijk offered this statement. “Given our market leadership in commercial print, why would we ever stop at two dimensions? Customised parts, prototypes, art objects, architectural models, medical models and 3D maps are items customers need today, in a more affordable and more accessible manner. Mcor will help us to keep prices low, quality high and colour brilliant as we meet the demand.”

The service will launch in the first quarter of next year, and will be available soon after that in other countries. This is an excellent step in bringing the reality of 3D printing to the general public, and will provide an accessible way for consumers to create 3D models at a time when 3D printers aren’t an easily obtainable commodity. There’s no word on how much it’ll cost to use the service.

Staples Easy 3D printing service set to launch in 2013 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Fisker Automotive is certainly no stranger to hold ups, and it turns out they’ve had another: production of the firm’s Karma hybrid has been halted since its sole battery supplier, A123 Systems, filed for bankruptcy in October. Since A123 slowed its battery output after the filing, the automaker has been too short on batteries to continue churning out vehicles. Fisker anticipates resuming production after the ill-fated outfit is auctioned off, but it doesn’t expect to know the outcome of the sale until mid-December. If your Karma’s lithium-ion pack goes kaput in the meantime, there’s still hope. As of now, the company says it has enough batteries in stock for customers who need replacements.

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: Reuters, Bloomberg

On Friday, we reported that Tesla was slated to increase the price of its popular Model S car, with no word on when exactly that would happen. Turns out the buying public didn’t have long to wait, with the company announcing earlier that effective today, the Model S is now a couple grand more expensive. The price won’t be applied to new reservations until January 1, however.

Since 2009, the Model S has had a base price of $57,400, which could be reduced to $49,900 after tax credits. The car’s new base price is $59,900 before tax credits, a total increase of $2,500. Says Tesla, this increase is half the price jump that would be expected from general inflation over the last few years. The exception is in Canada, where buyers get a $2,600 price increase.

Those who have already made a reservation will not be affected by the price change. Likewise, those who make a reservation by December 31 will also nab the car at the original, lower base price. Reservations that have not been finalized must be finished in a certain amount of time after receiving a message requesting that they do so, however, otherwise they may get hit with the higher price rate.

Tesla’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Ownership Experience George Blankenship offered this statement. “We believe it is a positive reflection on our design process and disciplined, long-term planning that enabled us to increase prices for the first time in four years at only half the rate of inflation. As a company we will always strive to deliver our customers the most innovative cars in the world while minimizing price increases as we have done today.”

Tesla Motors launches new pricing for the Model S is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Dell has launched an Ubuntu version of its attractive XPS 13 ultrabook. The ultrabook is aimed at developers, offering them “the essentials they want” bundled up in a Linux-harboring device. The laptop is available for purchase now from Dell starting at $1,449. You can also nab a Windows version of the machine if Ubuntu isn’t your thing.

The XPS 13 features a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. Inside you’ll find an Intel Core i7-3517U 3GHz processor and 8GB of RAM. There’s Intel HD 4000 graphics, and a 256GB SSD. The operating system is the latest and greatest Ubuntu version 12.04. It weighs in at a svelte 2.99lbs. Included with the purchase is one year of ProSupport.

ProSupport can be bumped up to 2-year and 3-year service plans for an extra $215 and $330. The machine itself is made from carbon fiber and aluminum, and offers Gorilla Glass for durability. The battery is a 6-cell unit, while the audio is Waves Maxx Audio 4.0. The laptop measures in at just 6mm on its thinnest edge, and 18mm at its thickest point, which is still less than 3/4 of an inch.

Dell offered this statement: “We’re super excited about the XPS 13 Laptop, Developer Edition, and want to thank all the developers who have been actively participating in helping us create a laptop designed specifically for them. Basically, we loaded a super sleek Dell machine with Ubuntu to give developers the essentials they want while staying true to our core values of openness and affordability. But the power of the community input really helped make this a big success.”

[via Dell]

Dell now offering XPS 13 Ultrabook running Ubuntu is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.