Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been almost a year since Nintendo revealed the 3DS to the world, trotted it out at E3, held proudly by a flotilla of genetically-cloned and identically-dressed ladies. Of course we knew about it long before that, but when it comes to glasses-free 3D screens seeing is believing. After that first glimpse we were left intrigued by the technology, but we wouldn’t say we were exactly believers. Now, after spending about a week living with one of Nintendo’s $250 consoles, working with one, gaming with one, and practicing kana with one, we’ve seen the light. The fancy-pants screen works, but it only does so with a lot of caveats.

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS review (Japanese)

Nintendo 3DS review (Japanese) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We survived the keynote address here at GDC 2011, where Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime just got done revealing a veritable cornucopia of info about the 3DS. On the video content front, the 3DS will get Netflix this summer along with the ability to pause a video on your handheld and continue watching on your Wii — though we presume you may recommence your cinematic experience on an XBox or PS3 too. The addition of Netflix wasn’t the only announcement by Iwata, however. Get the rest after the break.

Continue reading Nintendo GDC keynote roundup: Netflix and free AT&T WiFi coming to 3DS this summer!

Nintendo GDC keynote roundup: Netflix and free AT&T WiFi coming to 3DS this summer! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been hearing reports about Nexus S’ Android 2.3.3 update adding a yellow tint to the screen and even washing out its colors, but according to Google’s Ry Guy, said patch is indeed intended to tweak the display’s color temperature. Here’s the full quote from Google’s support forum:

“With your new OTA complete, you may notice a slight difference in the way colors are displayed on your Nexus S. For Nexus S, we have adjusted the color temperature settings to more accurately reflect darker colors at all brightness levels. The Gingerbread UI being darker, we found that the colors were not as accurate when the device was being used at lower brightness levels. For example, some users reported that the initial color temperature was too high leading to some darker greys having a reddish tone; with the new color temperature this is no longer the case.”

So while this display tweak is well-intentioned, it looks like many commenters on both the forum and XDA-Developers aren’t too happy with this. Being curious geeks that we are, we went ahead and manually updated our own Nexus S (and by the way, be sure to match your build number with the appropriate patch). As you can see in our comparison photos (shot with the same manual camera settings and medium screen brightness), the new overall color temperature is no doubt subtly warmer, although the dimmer brightness settings no longer suffer from the aforementioned red tone. Interestingly, we actually approve this change, and the Super AMOLED display certainly doesn’t look washed out to us, nor do we see any noisy dithering that some have reported. Surely we can’t be alone. Well, there’s only one way to help solve this mystery: if you happen to be a fellow Nexus S owner who’s applied this update, why not chime in below?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Nexus S 2.3.3 update adjusts screen’s color temperature, we go eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Regardless of industry, there are few brands more iconic than Porsche. And, of all the car shapes that have sprung from clay over the years, few are more evocative than the classic 911. It started in 1963 looking like a slightly stretched Beetle — which it wasn’t much bigger than. It’s considerably larger and heavier now, having lost much of its design purity in the ensuing 40-odd years. Still, its same basic shape and layout remain: bug eyes up front and boxer motor in the rear, slung between the back wheels.

Today’s 911, also known as the 997, has been around since 2005 and is about due to be replaced by a new model. This means it’s at the top of its game, available in a dizzying array of flavors that include the sporty Carrera, sunny-day cruisin’ Cabriolet, all-wheel drive powerhouse Turbo, all leading up to the mind-blowingly fast, twin-turbo 911 GT2. That car is as devoid of creature comforts as it is of apprehensions about sending you flying sideways into a tree. Screaming, probably.

These varying trim levels offer juicy bits of tech like active center differentials, launch control, and double-clutch gearboxes. Join us as we explore the race-ready bits of technology that make these cars faster and safer on the road and then take them for a spin around Barber Motorsports Park to see how it all comes together.

Continue reading The technology of the Porsche 911

The technology of the Porsche 911 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW already has one of the shortest names on the auto front, but it’s about to get shorter. The company has just launched “i,” a sub-marque much like the company’s M cars but, rather than focusing on performance, highlighting new technology to create cars that are “good for us” while also being “good for our planet.” It’s what the company calls “premium mobility,” cars for daily commuting that will let you “enjoy the finer things in life” without killing the planet in the process. The first two cars are the i3 (formerly known as the Megacity) and the i8 (the auto formerly known as Vision EfficientDynamics), both of which are said to be as fun to drive as a current car but much more efficient thanks to composite construction and electrified powertrains.

Additionally, the company is also working with the My City Way apps, which cover 40 cities in the US and that many abroad, offering traffic cameras, POIs, and even public transit info — a little odd for a car company. The company is pledging that we’ll see these “born electric” cars in production by 2013 and coyly specifies that three is not the smallest number nor eight the largest, meaning we should expect other models to fill that gap — just like the company’s current alphanumeric lineup. We’ll surely be learning more about these cars at Geneva in a few weeks, and if you think BMW is just being trendy using the lower-case i moniker, it did launch its iDrive controller back in September of 2001 — a month before the iPod really made “i” super trendy.

BMW launches new ‘i’ brand focused on electrification, lower-case letters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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