Hasta La Gadget!

It’s time to take a peek at the LG Optimus G as it runs on AT&T’s 4G LTE network and busts out with the majorly powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor on a set of three lovely games. The first game we’re taking a peek at is Wild Blood, a hack-and-slash monster-slaying 3rd-person adventure from Gameloft. Gameloft also presents the second game we’re having a peek at, that being Asphalt 7, a racing game with lots and lots of drifting. Then it’s time for a glu-developed game by the name of Indestructible – one car destroys another with chain guns, missiles, and many, many bombs.

With Wild Blood you’ll see the Snapdragon S4 Pro working to keep you on the run between cut-scenes and actual massacring of monsters in no time at all – you’ve got lovely special moves and bashing on your side as well. This game takes a bit of time to load when you first fire it up, otherwise there’s nothing to complain about in the least here on the LG Optimus G. Expect to be waiting a bit longer on devices with only a single core, and for multi-core devices you’ll still want to make sure you’re not pushing any other tasks at the same time – here with the S4 Pro we’ve got no concerns.

Next have a peek at Asphalt 7, a game that if you’re not used to dragging your tail end whilst racing you’ll have a difficult time not crashing into walls with. When you’re playing this game outside an optimized-for-gaming environment, you’ve got definite lag in graphics. Inside the LG Optimus G, everything is smooth as butter.

Finally there’s the many-independent-minds game that is Indestructible. Here we’ve got a Twisted Metal vibe going on with more little vehicles than you’re going to be able to handle. With so many bots coming at you with minds all their own, it’s only your ultra-powerful processor that’s keeping everything working so smoothly.

Stay tuned for more LG Optimus G action as we complete our review this week – the device goes on pre-order for $199 starting tomorrow with AT&T. Will you be picking one up right out of the gate? If you’ve got one whole heck of a lot of questions, be sure to let us know what you need to know in the comments section below! We’ll do our best to answer all queries!

AT&T LG Optimus G hands-on with quad-core gaming is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When Xbox Music goes live tomorrow on the Xbox 360, console owners will be the first to access the Spotify-esque service from Microsoft. Well, some of them will at least — existing Zune Pass subscribers (now an “Xbox Music Pass”) and folks willing to pony up $9.99/month or $99.90/year who also have an Xbox Live Gold account gain access to Xbox Music’s 30 million global song database via data stream (18 million songs for those of us in the US). Okay, okay, a free trial is available for 30 days. After that, though, 360 owners lose access unless they pay up.

Then, on October 26, Windows 8 PC and tablet users get the service for free — with or without the Xbox Music Pass — albeit with ads laced in. Windows Phone 8 is in the same boat with Xbox folks: no song-specific streaming without an Xbox Music Pass. That won’t arrive until some time “soon after” the PC/tablet version. Microsoft says the ad-supported free streaming is unlimited on PC and tablet, but that’s only for the first six months, after which it becomes time limited. A bummer for sure, but Microsoft’s banking on you digging the service enough to snag an Xbox Music Pass. But will you?

Like with Spotify and Pandora, some basic artist info, album/song info, and images garnish playing tracks, though not all artists are created equal — some artists had no images, while others had a detailed dossier. Microsoft says it’s adding more all the time, though. Xbox Music Pass holders can hang on to tracks for offline listening as well, which show up in your library and can be added to playlists. And should you wish to listen to a “Smart” radio station based on an artist/song/album, you can employ the “Smart DJ” (previously “Smart Playlist”) to create just such a station. The whole shebang is tied directly to your Microsoft login, mirroring settings and library data on all your devices (Xbox 360 included) accross the cloud. That same concept applies to playback, as you can pause a song on one device and pick it up right where you left off on another. Songs can also be purchased through the streaming service with or without the Xbox Music Pass, should you really want to hold onto that Barry Manilow track.

Continue reading Xbox Music heads to Xbox 360 first tomorrow, PC / tablets on Oct. 26, WP8 soon after; we go hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Gaming, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Alt, Microsoft

Xbox Music heads to Xbox 360 first tomorrow, PC / tablets on Oct. 26, WP8 soon after; we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that’s a form factor you don’t see that often. Of all the Windows 8 PCs we’ve seen so far, the Dell XPS 12 is tough to forget, if only because it’s the only one whose screen flips inside the hinge like an easel. We already got hands-on at IFA last month, but now we’re learning some key details — you know, like pricing and availability. Dell just announced that it will go up for pre-order today, starting at $1,199. (It will ship October 26th, the day Windows 8 launches.) That’s a princely sum indeed compared to some of the other Windows 8 ultraportables we’ve seen, but it’s important to remember that this runs not on an Atom processor, but an Ultrabook-grade CPU. And while you might assume that 12.5-inch display makes do with 1,366 x 768 resolution, it’s actually a dense 1080p panel. Hopefully we’ll get to review a final unit soon, but in the meantime feast yourself on a fresh round of hands-on shots below.

Filed under: Laptops, Dell

Dell XPS 12 Windows 8 convertible priced at $1,199 and up, ships this month with pre-orders starting today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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V-Moda’s been seriously edging for the audiophile crowd lately — namely with its Crossfade M-80 on-ear headphones, the VAMP headphone amp for the iPhone 4/4S, and a soon-to-be disclosed followup dubbed as Vamp Versa. That brings us to its soon-to-be released M-100 headphones, which haven’t really been a secret since their inception, making them a special set. Unlike many companies who strive for secrecy in regards to upcoming products, V-Moda’s taken a drastically different approach with its latest cans, with owner Val Kolton stating that they’re effectively the first crowd-sourced set of headphones.

Many headphone lovers out there likely know that Kolton’s been heavily in contact with the Head-Fi community, hoping to craft the best sounding, looking and fitting ear-gear possible. As he puts it, “the easter egg and inside joke is that the [M-100 headphones] can actually stand up. It is the first headphone that we know of that ‘stands above the rest’ and all others fall down/crawl. It also can stand on top of a few other new brand’s models almost like Cirque De Soleil.” It may be hard to tell based on the fashion-focused looks, but the company is adamant that its audio gear goes through more stringent research and testing than some of the biggest names out there, and that it’ll show in the end products. Most notably, its TrueHertz testing where, for the M-100, “six points from 5hZ to 12kHz are measured to be within [its] obsessive quality control levels.” According to Kolton, most companies only check at 1Khz, and allow for much wider variances. He followed up stating that “like fine wine, a headphone is only as good as its fit (taste buds) and its driver variances (grapes/cork). To us, all brands advertising ‘HD’ sound [aren’t being forthright] unless they believe or even know these key components are “‘fugazi.'”

For perspective, the M-100 is essentially the third iteration of the Crossfade LP over-ear headphones. Aside from a few tweaks to the design, it’s packing an audiophile-focused tuning (rather than DJ) that’s based on blending the voicings of its M-80 on-ears and the LP2 over-ears. It wouldn’t be unfair to say the company is aiming for a flat, yet fun sound — all in a package that’s fit to take to the streets like its earlier offerings. Those familiar may know that just under 150 of the first 200 production-quality models are currently floating around as early stock and test units for a final bit of real-world feedback before mass-production begins — and this editor’s been lucky enough to get his mitts on a set for some initial impressions. So, is the product shaping up to match all the hype? Click on past the break our take.

Continue reading V-Moda’s M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wearables

V-Moda’s M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When word first started trickling out that Samsung planned to make a mini version of the Galaxy S III, it had the air of plausibility — we’ve heard from many a person about the too-large size of that phone for their hands. Then, a press invitation confirmed that “something small” was in the works, and finally mobile chief JK Shin confirmed that a smartphone of that name would be announced today in Frankfurt, Germany.

Now Samsung’s spilled all the beans, and revealed the new Galaxy S III mini, a slightly paler version of its bigger brother in specs as well as screen size. Our own short time with the phone certainly revealed that its pushing all the same “inspired by nature” buttons of the original Galaxy S III (and the Galaxy Note II), with the same exact rounded pebble shape and layout. The German marketing rep we spoke to said his company’s research found that users wanted the same phone design as the 4.8-inch Galaxy S III, but in a smaller form factor — to more easily fit smaller hands and pockets. Samsung said those folks don’t necessarily need or want the most powerful phone they can get their hands on and are content to have mid-level specs — so the mini carries a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, a 4-inch, WVGA AMOLED screen and 32GB max of memory.

It remains to be seen if those specs will dilute the Galaxy S brand, but in any event, we found the phone certainly doesn’t cramp our regular-sized hands like its older brother can (let alone the Note II), and the comfortable shape of the original works even better in a mini size. The button placement is identical to the larger handset, and the phone will come out of the box with nearly identical Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean functionality — with the added Samsung TouchWiz twist, of course. That includes new niceties like the multi-screen option, and a brief play with the phone shows the same butter factor, even with the lesser dual-core processor. So might this mini-me Galaxy S III model sway you over to the Samsung Galaxy family if you disdain the giant screen of its predecessor? Check out the gallery below to see how the size compares with the rest of the family, and a hands-on video and interview with Samsung Germany rep Mario Winter, both after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III mini pops up, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S III mini pops up, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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