Hasta La Gadget!

Are you ready for Nintendo’s Wii U console to arrive in a couple of weeks, packing not only a GamePad but also extensive online-enabled features like the Miiverse, Wii U Chat, TVii and eShop? Good, because as IGN mentions, the Wii U isn’t. Not unlike many games shipping lately, the console will see a software update available at debut that downloads all of those features for the first time. That shouldn’t be a problem for early adopting gamers as long as everything goes smoothly, but so far early-arriving review / preview units don’t have the functionality, although it should be delivered in an update before the launch. It’s been a few years since we had a new console launch (relive the PS3 fat, pre-RROD Xbox 360 and Wii here) and quickly-changing software is certainly the name of the game, we’ll let you know as soon as we can how the Nintendo Network delivers.

Filed under: Gaming

Wii U’s Miiverse, Chat, TVii, and eShop features will arrive in a day-one software update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  IGN  | Email this | Comments

It was over a year ago now that we first heard about RIM’s plans to release a 3G PlayBook, but it looks like it is finally here, popping up on the UK BlackBerry site. Of course, since then it’s gone one better and delivered an LTE version, but if you’re in the UK, and want a little PlayBook action with data to go, you can order one today. Much like its LTE sibling, it comes with 32GB of memory, and gets the same faster 1.5GHz processor too. (The original was 1.0GHz.) The kicker here? The price, at around £420 (about $690 by conversion) this is only £30 ($48) shy of Apple’s 32GB WiFi and cellular iPad mini (at UK prices). On a positive note, while RIM might have had the 3G model lingering for some time, it did beat its own projections. But, with the UK now enjoying LTE, perhaps those interested in a PlayBook might campaign for the faster model to be added to the roster also.

Filed under: Tablets, RIM

Blackberry PlayBook 3G+ now available in the UK, 1.5GHz dual-core, 32GB storage originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Nov 2012 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrackBerry  |  BlackBerry (UK)  | Email this | Comments

Launch day has finally arrived for Boxee’s second hardware effort and now we’re finding out even more about it. As we heard yesterday, the $99 Boxee TV will be a Walmart exclusive at retail (also available via Boxee’s website), however early adopters in the holiday season can also expect a three month period to try out the “No Limits DVR” for free, plus a discounted service rate of $9.99 (normally $15) for life, three months of free Netflix access and a $5.99 Vudu credit. After the holidays, buyers can still expect free DVR trials, but there’s no details on exactly what is in store. The list of supported apps has also grown, with Spotify, MLB, TED, Wall Street Journal, Accuweather and Boxee’s own Cloudee joining the previously announced Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora and Vimeo on day one. Finally, we’ve got our first look at the HTML5 webapp that serves as a guide and second screen remote control.

For owners of the original Boxee Box, the company posted in a blog entry (the link appears to be down at the moment) that all back end support will remain running “for the foreseeable future” and an updated Flash Player is on the way. The bad news is that due to a lack of updates from Intel, it will not be able to upgrade the Netflix app for access outside the US and Canada, and agreements with premium content providers prevent opening it up for root access. The project has evolved a long way, from XBMC spinoff with a focus on support for locally stored and streaming video, then moving to a set-top box, offering OTA live TV viewing, and now its latest incarnation as a more conventionally shaped box built for OTA and ClearQAM channel viewing with the possibility of easier cable access in the future. We’ll be reviewing the new hardware soon, potential buyers (especially in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington DC where they can access the Cloud DVR) can check out the galleries for one last look or hit the link below to try out Boxee’s take on the future of TV viewing.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Boxee TV hits Walmart aisles today, flashes more apps, guide webapp and 3 months free DVR service originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Boxee tumblr, Boxee.tv  | Email this | Comments

Apple today officially revealed the latest addition to the iPad line, a slimmed-down new model with a 7.9-inch display called the iPad Mini. The new tablet is aimed squarely at the lower end of the market, looking to undermine Amazon’s Kindle success and to deal a blow to other small tablets, such as Google’s Nexus 7 that are significantly less expensive than the current iPad.

The new iPad mini is built to be slim and lightweight, and measures just 7.2mm thick and weighs .68 pounds – about half what the 10-incher weighs, and much easier to hold with one hand.

Under the hood, it’s similar to the iPad 2, running the same A5 dual-core chipset, and offering a 1024×768 touchscreen display at 163ppi, which is lower than “retina” density, but still looks sharper than the displays in the original iPad and iPad 2, and ensuring full backwards compatibility with existing apps.

It’s all packed into a svelte aluminum case with similar design cues to that of the recently-released iPhone 5, with a skinny bezel that helps pack more display into a smaller package. It sports Apple’s tiny, 8-pin Lightning connector to help keep things slim. It will ship with either a black or white version with an anodized aluminum case, just like the iPhone 5 too. Connectivity is 802.11 a/b/g/n wi-fi, with Bluetooth 4.0 and optional 4G LTE connectivity.

Just like its big brother, battery life is rated at 10 hours, and the mini sports a front-facing FaceTime camera at 720p resolution and a rear-facing camera that can shoot 1080p video or 5-megapixel stills. It’s also got the requisite three-axis gyro, accelerometer, compass, and ambient light sensor. The 4G LTE model also offers A-GPS.

Of course, the iPad mini ships with the recently-released iOS 6, along with all of its new bells and whistles. Of course, it can take advantage of the over 275,000 iPad apps already available through the App Store too. Also announced today was an updated version of iBooks, which supports continuous-scrolling, posting of excerpts to Facebook and Twitter, and iCloud page syncing, and support for 40 languages. The update will be available from the App Store later today.

And for those of you who take your iPad on the road, the iPad mini even supports Siri.

Pricing for the iPad mini starts at just $329 for 16GB wi-fi and $429 for the 32GB Wi-fi model and $519 for 64GB. As for the 4G LTE version, you’re looking at $459 for 16GB, $559 for 16GB, and $649 for the 32GB model.

The iPad mini will be available for pre-order starting this Friday, October 26th, and the Wi-Fi version will ship starting on November 2nd. No word yet on which countries will get the device on that date, nor the exact date for the LTE variants. You should be able to find more details on the iPad mini over on Apple’s website now.

Personally, I prefer the larger screen of the regular iPad models, and someday I’d love an even bigger tablet – maybe 15 inches. But for those of you who want something more compact, still want Apple’s massive library of iOS apps, and are looking to save on their tablet purchase, the iPad mini looks pretty nice.

T-Mobile has just sent out invites to the press for a product launch event on the evening of October 29th. We weren’t given any clues as to what this new item (or items) could be — aside from the fact that it will include T-Mobile’s full fall lineup — but we certainly have a few suspicions considering the timing of such an event. Microsoft and Google are both holding press events earlier in the day, after all, which means we’re either going to be treated to T-Mobile’s Windows Phone 8 lineup or (this is less likely, but anything’s possible) a T-Mobile Nexus. Feel free to put your wagers in the comments below, and we’ll work to sort out the craziness that will most certainly ensue that day.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

T-Mobile schedules new product event on October 29th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments