Hasta La Gadget!

Coverage of Eedoo’s eBox has thus far largely focused on the China-only game console’s similarity to Microsoft’s Kinect. Perhaps seeking to shift in perception, the system this week was reintroduced to the world as the Apple-esque iSec — that’s short for “Sports Entertainment Center,” highlighting its exercise-centric approach to gaming, with martial arts, skateboarding, and good old-fashioned monster fighting titles having already been demoed. The console will also support wireless controllers of some sort, for those sick of all of that pesky exercise. After an initial delay, the iSec is set to hit China at some point in the second half of this year, though the company has no international sales plan — at least until they move one million units domestically. At the moment, the iSec doesn’t have much official competition, since the Wii, Xbox, and PS3 aren’t legally available in China, though we’re told that they’re also not too hard to get your hands on — for those who are still using their hands for stuff.

Lenovo-funded eBox gaming console renamed iSec, still can’t shake Kinect comparisons originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look away now, Kaz, because it looks like this KIRF NGP is on track to beat the real deal to market. Known as the iReadyGo RG on Chinese forum CNGBA, this shameless rip-off is set to be a near-carbon copy of Sony’s upcoming console with the same 5-inch touchscreen, though it isn’t clear whether this will also be of OLED nature or of identical resolution. Other differences include the missing touchpad on the back, as well as the buttons’ color scheme that’s no doubt “inspired” by the Xbox 360 controller. The rest of the rumored specs include a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU, 720p camera, HDMI-out, and video playback compatibility for MP4, WMV, AVI, and many more. But what’s most interesting is that apparently we’ll be seeing some Android love here, and indeed, iReadyGo is currently recruiting six senior Android developers. No word on pricing or availability yet, but we’ll probably wait for Sony’s quad-core offering, thank you very much. Head past the break for a shot of the RG’s glossy back.

[Thanks, rrw]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: Sony NGP with Xbox 360 livery shows up in China

Keepin’ it real fake: Sony NGP with Xbox 360 livery shows up in China originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 02:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China’s been making its mark on the world for years, but there’s still one massive piece of real estate where the country’s citizens haven’t hung their ubiquitous red flag: space. The China Manned Space Engineering Office hopes to change that within the next decade, however, unveiling a model of its first space station on Monday. The station’s current moniker is Tiangong (Chinese for “heavenly palace”) but the space agency is asking the public to suggest alternatives at kongjianzhan@vip.qq.com through July 25th. At 60 tons, the complete facility is significantly smaller than the 419-ton International Space Station, so residents should probably keep the man cave tidy in case Chinese astronauts need some room to stretch out while not connecting to the PlayStation Network. We’re working on our own list of names for little Tiangong here, but feel free to share your submissions after the break.

China unveils space station, launching by 2020 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Imagine a world where Nokia’s N-Gage is the mobile platform of choice — there’s no iOS, no Android, and Nintendo’s 3D ventures ended mercifully with the Virtual Boy. It’s a world where the Nckia NG belongs. In our universe, a knockoff of the stillborn Nokia 7700 doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense, even with a MicroSD slot and added buttons for dialing. And then there’s the fact that the handset runs a JAVA OS that doesn’t exactly offer a bounty of mobile gaming choices — which was sort of the whole point of the N-Gage. As for other familiar features, we can’t be sure that this will be the rebirth of side-talkin’, but with what could be a speaker slot on the side, we’ve got our fingers crossed. No word on pricing, but if you’re truly nostalgic for a time that never was, you can pick one up from Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen. Get a closer look after the break.

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake: Nckia’s N-Gage knockoff harkens back to a simpler, side-talkin’ era

Keepin’ it real fake: Nckia’s N-Gage knockoff harkens back to a simpler, side-talkin’ era originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What happens when you decide to sell a device that brazenly features an apple logo you’re not allowed to use? Well, not much actually, the robocops don’t come busting through your door or anything, but evidently the Cupertino lawyers are on top of their game (they’ve certainly had enough practice lately) and have shot out a kindly note to the M.I.C. Store guys to ask them to halt sales of the iHub. That’s exactly what’s happened with the $10 USB hub, and before we get in a huff about Apple acting all totalitarian again, let’s remember that a trademark is only as good as the enforcement you attach to it, so this pretty much had to happen. Strangely, M.I.C. still promises to complete delivery for those who’ve already placed an order, and this latest development should make it feel that much more special if and when it does arrive.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iHub gets shut down by the iPolice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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