Hasta La Gadget!

To put it mildly, the OUYA console has had a better than expected funding run — the project is now past the $6 million mark, or six times what it originally needed. The team still wants a little something to end the last week of fundraising with a bang. It just unveiled a limited edition brown, brushed metal version of the console with a controller to match; all it takes is a $140 pledge during the final push to August 9th and you’ve got the Yves Behar-chosen color for yourself. The special run should arrive as part of the wider March 2013 launch. If the original silver hue will do just nicely, thank you very much, OUYA has struck another content deal and will launch Vevo’s music video hub side-by-side with the console. Click past the break for a peek at the controller, and consider a pledge on Kickstarter if you just can’t stand the thought of having the same console as everyone else.

Continue reading OUYA wrapping up funding with limited brown metal console, Vevo deal

Filed under: Gaming

OUYA wrapping up funding with limited brown metal console, Vevo deal originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Kickstarter  | Email this | Comments

There have been teases here and there that Google’s Nexus 7 was going to get a full, official accessory treatment from ASUS, but actual details have been scarce. Consider ASUS’ cover blown, almost literally. Presentation files finding their way to Nordic Hardware show the known Smart Case-like, $20 Travel Cover that’s already lurking on the ASUS and Google websites, but they also spoil a leather Premium Cover that will reportedly cost $40. As for a cradle to round out the set? While the company had previously confirmed that a dock was coming, we’re now getting a glimpse of the $50 Nexus Dock’s super-simple wedge design and audio output. With the exception of the Travel Cover, the accessory bonanza is pegged by the slides as arriving in late August — just in time for that last-gasp summer vacation.

Update: Nordic Hardware has since taken down its original post “at the request” of an unnamed party.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablet PCs

Nexus 7 dock and covers leak, promise high style in small sizes (update: source goes down) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Droid-Life  |  Nordic Hardware  | Email this | Comments

Android is most definitely on the upward march when it comes to the world stage. But you might be surprised at how it’s faring in the US: it’s down, according to Strategy Analytics’ estimates. As of the second quarter, Google’s market share dropped from 60.6 percent a year earlier to 56.3 percent. No one would call it a moment of crisis for Android, but it implies that Apple was drawing in more of the customers jumping ship from other platforms — the iPhone climbed to 33.2 percent while RIM and others lost ground. The real tests of where the market is going, we imagine, will come in the second half of the year. Apple will have to survive an American summer full of Galaxy S III variants, while Samsung and the rest of the Android camp may have to cope with a bigger than usual iPhone update as 2012 heads into the sunset.

Filed under: Cellphones

Strategy Analytics: Android lost US market share in Q2, isn’t losing sleep just yet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  Strategy Analytics  | Email this | Comments

That didn’t take long. We’ve only known about the Sony Xperia J and its reported ST26i codename for a short while, but ePrice has already given the purported starter smartphone the full photo tour. From cursory looks and specifications, the J will slot neatly between the Xperia miro and tipo at the start of the line and the small but potent Xperia U: while it’s not believed to be quite as fast or iconic as the dual-core U, the single-core, 1GHz J could still be faster than its tiniest cousins and strive for some chic with a brightly colored back wrapped around a 4-inch display. The real highlight may simply be an Xperia that ships with Android 4.0 from the get-go instead of requiring yet another upgrade merry-go-round. When the Xperia J shows is still up in the air, despite presumptions of an appearance at IFA; however, we won’t be surprised if the J appears side-by-side with the Mint when it’s officially ready for a close-up.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Xperia J possibly spotted, may court entry-level fashionistas originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central, Xperia Blog  |  ePrice (translated)  | Email this | Comments

Virgin Mobile had originally promised the UK version of the ZTE Grand X for early August. The carrier just can’t contain its enthusiasm: it’s letting retail partner Phones4U sell the budget smartphone as of today. While you’re busy skipping the start of the Olympics, the store will give you a Grand X for free if you’re willing to spend at least £20.50 ($32) per month on a tariff instead of opting for the £190 ($299) pay-as-you-go hardware price. As we saw in China, the appeal of the Grand X is in those numbers — it’s more the temptation of stock Android 4.0 in a low-priced (if capable) suit than the hardware. Phones4U does hope to sweeten the pot through a contest. We hope you like the musical styles of Professor Green, as the British retailer is giving early Grand X adopters a chance to win both a custom Professor Green case as well as tickets to a private concert.

Filed under: Cellphones

ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Phones4U  | Email this | Comments