Hasta La Gadget!

Cilantro might be the most polarizing thing on this planet. Some people can’t eat a fish taco without it, others cry frothy tears of dishsoap at its mere mention. The same may well be true of the LG Optimus 3D (known as the Thrill 4G in the US). We already felt a little torn about the device when we first got our hands on it back in February. Sure, it packed some extra heft and, ahem, Android 2.2.2. But its stupor-inducing, 3D display (combined with some truly poignant marketing) was just enough to whet our appetites. Plus, after having already scarfed down a bowl of HTC’s EVO 3D, we were more than a little keen on tasting LG’s take on the glasses-free 3D recipe – a young and intriguing smartphone genre. Now that we finally have, we’re ready to tackle a question for the ages: dishsoap or delicacy?

Continue reading LG Optimus 3D review

LG Optimus 3D review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The price of the Nintendo 3DS in the US is dropping precipitously August 12th from $249 to $169, with other regions getting a similar price break in their respective currency. If you’re one of the 830,000~ US gamers that have already shelled out, don’t be too disappointed as your early adopting ways will be rewarded with free games. The thank you gift for gamers that have logged into the eShop at least once before the price cut will be 10 free NES virtual console games before they’re widely available, plus 10 more Game Boy Advance virtual console games — that Nintendo is apparently not planning on releasing to the general public — before the end of the year. Think someone is feeling pressure from the oncoming PlayStation Vita?

..developing

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS price drops from $249 to $169 August 12th, current owners get 20 free games

Nintendo 3DS price drops from $249 to $169 August 12th, current owners get 20 free games originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pricing for the LG Thrill 4G popped up on Radio Shack’s corporate systems a few days ago, at $80 with a two-year contract. AT&T just shared its official Thrill pricing, however, with the glasses-free 3D smartphone commanding a healthy $99 at the company’s retails stores when it ships “in the coming weeks.” That timeframe meshes nicely with the August 7th launch date that a pair of Radio Shack insiders shared with us last week, though until we receive confirmation otherwise, it’s within reason to expect that devices will begin to ship before or even after that date. Either way, it doesn’t look like you’ll need to hold out much longer for your Thrill, with only a few more days of tranquility to go before the excitement begins.

AT&T confirms LG Thrill 4G pricing, release ‘in the coming weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judging by the headlines today, Samsung’s 3D R&D department made a huge mistake, just check them out: “Who Could Have Guessed: 3D Hurts Your Eyes”, “Samsung-funded study finds 3D video causes extra eye strain, fatigue”, “Samsung study finds that 3D video causes eye strain, fatigue”. It seems obvious that Samsung’s research grant financing a UC Berkeley study published in the Journal of Vision was wasted, except for one minor issue — all of those headlines are wrong. “The zone of comfort: Predicting visual discomfort with stereo displays” is actually trying to find out why 3D-related eyestrain happens. That it can and does happen with poorly formatted video, whether 2D, 3D or otherwise, is already known.

Scrolling down beyond the abstract reveals the prof’s data actually indicated a wider comfort zone than 3D video producers commonly assumed with their percentage rule of thumb. It’s a Friday night and you don’t have to pick thumbing through dry descriptions of experiments over whatever your plans are, but that’s why you have us. Shockingly, companies desperately hawking 3D tech are busy making it better instead of undermining their own products, but you’d have to actually read the study to find out for sure.

Samsung studies 3D viewing discomfort, finds out bloggers don’t read originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After some will they / won’t they drama, Nintendo snuck out its new Video app for the 3DS, giving owners of the handheld a little something to enjoy in 3D between gaming sessions. That said, we hope your Netflix queue is full because there are apparently only four selections available at any given time. At launch, those slots are filled with an intro video, two short films (Sunday Jog and Dinosaur Office) and a Captain America movie trailer. Users should expect a continuously updated carousel of content going forward, but for now if you’re not near your glasses-free 3D machine (or don’t own one at all) check out these shots provided by one of our tipsters. Otherwise check for the app in the eShop; though with only a four-pack to start, we’d suggest pacing yourself instead of diving in all at once. Check out the PR after the break.

[Thanks, Xavier]

Continue reading Nintendo Video app for the American 3DS appears with four videos in tow

Nintendo Video app for the American 3DS appears with four videos in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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