Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th

Motorola and Verizon have finally stopped teasing us and have made the Droid X2 official. This is a 4.3-inch Android (2.2, to be upgraded to 2.3) smartphone with a qHD screen resolution and a dual-core 1GHz processor. An 8 megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and HD video recording graces the back. The X2 will cost the usual $200 on contract and will be available to buy online tomorrow, May 19th, before making its way out to stores a week later, on May 26th. Leap past the break for the full PR.

Interestingly, we’ve also spotted the close proximity of the USB and HDMI ports on the side of the new X2. That arrangement is reminiscent of the one on Motorola’s Atrix, where the two connectors served to hook that handset up to its laptop and multimedia docks. We don’t know whether the Droid X2 will fit into the accessories designed for the Atrix, but it looks sure to be strapping itself into a dock of some description in the near future.

Continue reading Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th

Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th

It may not have been the first in the world to get it, but Verizon can now at least claim to be the first US carrier to offer the long fabled, oft-leaked PlayStation Phone, otherwise known as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. It will be available for pre-order on the carrier’s website starting May 19th, and be available in stores on May 26th for the usual $199.99 on a two-year contract. That, of course, gets you the first PlayStation Certified handset with console-style controls — a real D-pad and PlayStation face and shoulder buttons, plus a pair of miniature touchpads for dual-analog gameplay on the go. You’ll also get seven games pre-loaded on the device (including Madden NFL 11 and The Sims 3) but, as we saw in our recent hands-on with the Verizon version of the phone, you won’t get Sony Ericsson’s custom skin — the carrier has instead opted for a mostly stock UI with only some SE wallpapers and widgets. As Verizon also notes, those opting for the phone will have to sign up for both a Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package as well, the former of which start at $39.99 a month, while an unlimited data plan will run you $29.99. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract

It may not have been the first in the world to get it, but Verizon can now at least claim to be the first US carrier to offer the long fabled, oft-leaked PlayStation Phone, otherwise known as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. It will be available for pre-order on the carrier’s website starting May 19th, and be available in stores on May 26th for the usual $199.99 on a two-year contract. That, of course, gets you the first PlayStation Certified handset with console-style controls — a real D-pad and PlayStation face and shoulder buttons, plus a pair of miniature touchpads for dual-analog gameplay on the go. You’ll also get six games pre-loaded on the device (including Madden NFL 11 and The Sims 3) but, as we saw in our recent hands-on with the Verizon version of the phone, you won’t get Sony Ericsson’s custom skin — the carrier has instead opted for a mostly stock UI with only some SE wallpapers and widgets. As Verizon also notes, those opting for the phone will have to sign up for both a Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package as well, the former of which start at $39.99 a month, while an unlimited data plan will run you $29.99. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble logs 1m Nook app downloads in first week, people are probably playing Angry Birds instead of reading

We were pretty stoked when Barnes & Noble finally made Android apps a legit feature on the Nook Color (lack of Market access be damned) and, unsurprisingly, many of you were, too — the company reports that within a week of making these applications available, it hit 1 million downloads. It would seem we can glean two stunningly obvious things from this tidbit: one, the addition of features through software updates makes people happy. Two: you people really feel the need to play Angry Birds on every device you own, don’t you? According to B&N, the never-ending avian spectacle topped the paid app list, with Fliq Calendar leading the free ones. Missing from this stat, of course, is any insight into how fast this catalog is growing — a good question, since these Android applications have to get tweaked especially for the Nook Color before you can download ’em. Self-congratulatory press release after the break.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble logs 1m Nook app downloads in first week, people are probably playing Angry Birds instead of reading

Barnes & Noble logs 1m Nook app downloads in first week, people are probably playing Angry Birds instead of reading originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix seals deal to stream Miramax movies, starting in June

Netflix has just gone and scooped up another big content deal for itself. The movie streaming service has tied the knot with Miramax on a multi-year agreement to allow streaming of films from the latter’s extensive library. Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Kill Bill, and hundreds of others will be added to the Netflix Watch Instantly catalog on a rotating basis, starting next month. This marks the first time Miramax flicks have been available on a digital subscription service. An agreement between these two companies was last rumored in March, with a five-year term and $100 million price being mooted as the likely parameters for getting it done. Neither outfit would disclose the cost to Netflix, but the benefit to you, dear subscriber, is pretty obvious. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Netflix seals deal to stream Miramax movies, starting in June

Netflix seals deal to stream Miramax movies, starting in June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu LOOX F-07C goes official, dual-boots to Windows 7 and Symbian (updated)

Yes, ’tis quite a shock for a Monday morning, but it turns out the dual-booting Fujitsu LOOX F-07C smartphone is indeed legit. According to NTT DoCoMo’s preliminary spec sheet, this 7.69-ounce landscape slider handles both Symbian and Windows 7 (Home Premium, 32-bit Japanese edition) with its 4-inch 1,024 x 600 LCD (that’s 297ppi right there!), along with a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of LPDDR400 RAM, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 32GB of eMMC disk space, and expandable memory via microSDHC. You’ll also find a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with face detection on the back, coupled by a VGA front-facing camera. Of course, the main concern is how the battery life fares here: we’re told that in “mobile phone mode” you get up to 600 hours of generous standby time and up to 370 minutes of 3G talk time; whereas in Windows 7 mode you’ll have to make do with just two hours, and then you’re forced into mobile phone mode when the battery level is low. If you’re itching to get yourself an eccentric F-07C, then watch out for its launch in June or July. Full list of specifications and press release after the break.

Update: ASCII’s just posted a few real-life shots of this device, and mentions a retail price of around ¥70,000 ($860). Oh, and there’s HDMI-out via a USB adapter.

Update 2: Akihabara News has a hands-on video — check it out after the break, and be sure to take a gander at its photos as well.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu LOOX F-07C goes official, dual-boots to Windows 7 and Symbian (updated)

NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu LOOX F-07C goes official, dual-boots to Windows 7 and Symbian (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 May 2011 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation 3 system update 3.61 available now, ‘phased restoration’ of PSN begins today (update)

Ladies and gentlemen, your PS3 may technically be able to connect to PlayStation Network now, but we’re not through the woods yet — today, Sony is issuing a mandatory System Update (v3.61) which will prepare your game machine for that magical day when the company actually throws the switch. In the meanwhile, Sony says the update will prompt you to change your PlayStation Network password, which will likely rank among the easiest decisions that you’ve ever made.

Update: Sony’s just announced that a “phased restoration” of PlayStation Network and Qriocity is beginning today, and that online gaming, Music Unlimited, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.TV should rolling out right now in Europe and North America. Watch cool cat Kaz Hirai deliver the good news in a video after the break.

Update 2: Sony’s got a map of the US up, and will be lighting up individual states — check out our more coverage link to get a rough idea of when you’ll be able to play. The company also says it plans to have PlayStation Network fully functional by the end of May. PR after the break.

Update 3: The restoration is beginning now: we’re seeing Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and California. And would you look at that, the southeast just got its due: Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have PSN too… and as of 10:18PM PST, you can add Delaware, Pennsylvania, both Virginias, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan to that list.

Update 4: Annnnnd we should all be back. Sleep well, PSN users. By the way, Sony Online Entertainment (the MMO division) has a list of the free goodies you’ll get for your inconvenience — read it at the link below.

Update 5: Sony just flipped the international switch — PSN’s rolling out across the world.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading PlayStation 3 system update 3.61 available now, ‘phased restoration’ of PSN begins today (update)

PlayStation 3 system update 3.61 available now, ‘phased restoration’ of PSN begins today (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner officially available for preorders for $249, six tuner version next week

After a false start when it passed certification earlier this month, SiliconDust’s three CableCARD tuner HDHomeRun Prime is finally available for preorder from Newegg for $249. The release date is scheduled for June 29th but those interested in getting it hooked up to their HTPC as quickly as possible may want to wait until next week when the six-tuner 6CC version goes up for preorder, as those are expected to begin shipping first. There’s no volume discount on the tuners at $499, but at $83 per tuner you might be able to justify it as a better value than the four-tuner and also network-sharable InfiniTV 4. Either way, if you just need a bit more information before purchasing, you’ll find it on the sales page, on the linked PDF below or in the video trailer embedded after the break.

[Thanks Justin & @TheReal_PeterF]

Continue reading HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner officially available for preorders for $249, six tuner version next week

HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner officially available for preorders for $249, six tuner version next week originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink @HDHomeRun_US  |  sourceNewegg, SiliconDust  | Email this | Comments

HTC Flyer available across Europe today, £600 for 3G, £480 for WiFi-only version

The day every fan of 7-inch Android tablets has been waiting for has finally arrived. HTC has just announced widespread availability across Europe of its 1.5GHz Flyer. Pricing is set at £600 / €649 for the 3G-equipped 32GB variant or £480 / €499 for the one with only WiFi and 16GB on board — though local carriers are offering subsidized pricing as low as £129 on contract. The contentious capacitive stylus, now dubbed the Magic Pen, will be shipping in each and every box, so you don’t have to worry about ponying up extra for it. The HTC store linked below still offers only pre-orders, but HTC promises that there will be aluminum unibodies hitting shelves today.

Continue reading HTC Flyer available across Europe today, £600 for 3G, £480 for WiFi-only version

HTC Flyer available across Europe today, £600 for 3G, £480 for WiFi-only version originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix releases Android app for select HTC phones, Samsung Nexus S

Well, it looks like the LG Revolution won’t be the first Android phone to get Netflix after all. The app has just hit the Android Market and is currently available for the HTC Incredible, Nexus One, Evo 4G, and G2, plus the Samsung Nexus S. As you might expect, there’s not a lot of surprises in terms of functionality — you can resume watching where you left off on your TV or computer, and the app will allow you to manage your instant queue in addition to letting you simply browse movies. On its official blog, Netflix explains that while the app is currently limited to phones with “requisite playback support,” it anticipates that many of the “technical challenges will be resolved in the coming months,” and that it will be able to “provide a Netflix application that will work on a large majority of Android phones.” That’s some curious wording, to be sure, and a notable change from earlier talk that suggested only certain Qualcomm processors would support the necessary DRM for Netflix. Also not supported at the moment: Canada. If none of that precludes you, however, you can hit up the Android Market link below to try it out for yourself.

In other Netflix news, the company has also rolled out a little gift for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users — the iOS app now finally boasts support for subtitles.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Netflix releases Android app for select HTC phones, Samsung Nexus S originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market, Netflix, Netflix Blog, iTunes  | Email this | Comments