Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox 360 package, the Nike+ Kinect Training Bundle, complete with a console, Kinect sensor bar, and a copy of the Nike+ Kinect Training game. The set – which also includes a month’s Xbox LIVE Gold membership, to whet your appetite – is priced at $249.99 after a $50 discount holiday promotion,  and will be available in the US.

The console itself is the 4GB version, though it won’t be the only way to get a copy of Nike+ Kinect Training. According to Microsoft’s Major Nelson, the title will also be offered via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace from December 25, priced at $49.99 or 4,000 MS points.

The following day – to help work off turkey fever – will see the release of the “Fast and Focused: Upper Body and Core Pack” which adds a 15-minute workout to the Nike+ game. Featuring personalized workout drills, it will be priced at $4.99 or 400 MS points, though will obviously demand a copy of the full title before you can use it.

The Xbox 360 Nike+ Kinect Training Bundle is already up for preorder, though at the full $299.99 price rather than the discounted rate. It’s expected to be broadly available from today.

Xbox 360 Nike+ Kinect Training Bundle prepares you for holiday feasting is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I think I can see the clouds of another patent infringement lawsuit forming now. Apple has filed a patent application on wireless charging technology using magnetic resonance. The problem as many might know is that wireless charging using magnetic resonance has been around for a long time.

Apple has a patent application, number 20120303980, that outlines its magnetic resonance charging technology. It appears that there is at least one significant difference between most wireless charging technologies on the market today and what Apple’s application outlines. While typical wireless charging solutions require physical contact between the device being charged and a charging mat, Apple’s patent doesn’t.

The system that the Apple patent application outlines allows for wireless charging a distance of up to 1 m from the charging device. Even though Apple’s patent application outlines a wireless technology that doesn’t require contact, it’s certainly not the only company that has been working on wireless charging technology from a distance.

The Apple patent application was filed in November of 2010. Notably, a company called WiPower file the patent in 2008 on the concept of wireless charging as a whole. That company was later acquired by QUALCOMM with the patents becoming the foundation for The Alliance For Wireless Power along with some intellectual property provided by alliance member Samsung.

[via The Register]

Apple files patent application for wireless charging is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I have to admit that I use my Bluetooth speaker almost daily. Whether it’s to listen to music while I take a shower, or go to sleep while listening to an audiobook, I definitely get the most of this kind of device. That being said, most of these kinds of speakers sell for quite a bit of money. Check out this one which won’t break the bank.

The JLab Bouncer wireless speaker has a pair of 12W custom-engineered drivers and dual rear bass ports. This small speaker is supposed to produce warm and smooth mids, high and deep bass. It will connect to your devices up to 30 feet away, and has an auxiliary port for devices that lack Bluetooth.

While the Bouncer lists for $249.95(USD), can get yours on sale directly from JLab for $129.95 in either white or black.

[via Ubergizmo]

Facebook Messenger for Android has been updated, removing the requirement that users have a Facebook account, and instead allowing them to sign up with nothing more than a cellphone number and name. The new feature will go live in India, Indonesia, Australia, Venezuela, and South Africa today, with other countries to follow shortly after.

The change in policy means that those wary of over-sharing with a full Facebook account now need not be out of contact with those friends and family with fewer qualms about the service. It also pits Facebook directly against SMS messaging, attempting to follow other rival services such as iMessage on iOS in undercutting carrier text messaging charges by using cheaper data instead.

It’s unclear when Facebook might follow the Android app update with a similar registration option for the iOS app, though users of the iPhone version can communicate with those who have logged in with their mobile number. The updated Android app also supports group conversations and photo sharing.

The new software comes hot on the heels of a Facebook Messenger for Firefox app, which takes advantage of the Firefox Social API built into the latest version of the browser. However, it also demands a full Facebook registration, rather than the pared-back membership of the new Android app.

You can download Facebook Messenger for Android from the Play store, though at time of writing the new version has not been released.

Facebook Messenger for Android pares registration to name & number is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

RIM today confirmed earlier reports it was planning a transactional service attached to BBM that would allow for direct money transfers and put a name to the service – BBM Money. In an interview with the BBC, Managing Director of RIM’s South Asia operations Hastings Singh said that the company will be launching BBM Money in Indonesia first beginning “shortly,” allowing anyone with a BlackBerry to transfer money directly to other BlackBerry owners.

Thorsten Heins had previously suggested that such a service was on the way when he suggested that BBM is a “very strong platform not just for communication,” but potentially also for “transacting money” during a visit to Jakarta back in October. At the time, RIM offered few additional details, saying he wanted to keep “surprises” in store for Indonesian users. Now it looks like the service will take the form of a straightforward peer-to-peer transfer network, which will allow users to then withdraw the money they receive through the service via bank cash machines.

Why Indonesia first? There are a number of reasons, including the prevalence of BlackBerry devices in that country. RIM has a strong foothold there, claiming a 56 percent market share, Heins said in October. But IDC stats show that Android devices are used by 52 percent of the population (more than a few users have more than one device type) and seem to be on the rise. Offering services unique to the Indonesian market, which represents a fair chunk of RIM’s remaining global revenues, is a way to both show that the company is appreciative and turns back a fair chunk of wandering eyes.

BBM Money is also pretty much tailor-made for usage habits of BlackBerry and BBM in the country. In Indonesia, BBM is a popular way to set up and organize peer-to-peer transactions, so allowing people to pay directly through the service for goods and services essentially closes the loop. Adding more capabilities to BBM also helps differentiate it from the growing number of competitive services, which include Apple’s iMessage and Facebook Messenger, as well as standalone third-party apps like Kik and WhatsApp.

Indonesia isn’t actually an unusual choice for BlackBerry firsts – The Wall Street Journal launched an Indonesia-localized BB app in November, a first for the company. But despite debuting in Indonesia, there’s no reason RIM should keep something like BBM Money fenced into a specific locale. So long as it is well received, and the economics of operating it work out, I’d suspect there’s a good chance we’ll see it reach more markets in time.

No word on when exactly the service will hit or whether it will be tied to the early 2013 BB10 launch just yet, but we’ve reached out to RIM for more details and will update when they become available.

Update: RIM provided the following statement, which, while tantalizingly oblique, does little to answer any of our specific questions:

As demonstrated by recent announcements such as the beta of BBM with voice calling, our focus is to continue to evolve the real-time engagement and sharing experience for the 60 million BBM customers around the world. Adding mobile commerce functionality is one of several extensions to BBM we are investigating, and which would be a logical direction in which to take BBM. When we launch additional services, we’ll make further announcements.