Hasta La Gadget!

Just how confident is Microsoft that its Surface tablets will take off? To the tune of 3 to 5 million units shipped in the fall alone, according to the Wall Street Journal‘s supplier contacts. While that wouldn’t be much when Apple already ships more than three times as many iPads, even discounting the supposed 10 million tiny iPads coming this fall, it would represent a strong start for a company that’s only just dipping its toes into own-brand computing. Microsoft isn’t confirming any numbers at this stage, but the large production volume might explain that Busby Berkeley-style TV ad — you’d want a full song and dance routine if you had that many Surfaces to sell.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Microsoft reportedly building up to 5 million Surface tablets for the fall originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At the PadFone 2 launch event in Taipei, ASUS let out some details on worldwide availability for its latest phone-and-tablet combo. A handful of countries in Europe and Asia will actually get to buy it before the end of December this year, including these: Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan (which we already know), Thailand and U.A.E. Don’t worry if you’re not on the list, as ASUS says more will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned.

Update: Jonney Shih just announced in Milan that for Europe, the PadFone 2 tablet bundle will be priced at €799 ($1,040) for the 32GB model, and €899 ($1,170) for the 64GB model. Without the tax, these figures aren’t too far off from their Taiwanese counterparts, but the subsidized prices, if any, will obviously be a lot more attractive than these.

Continue reading ASUS PadFone 2 to hit European and Asian markets before end of December (update: European prices)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

ASUS PadFone 2 to hit European and Asian markets before end of December (update: European prices) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve pretty much exhausted the high profile fall premieres for now, but there still presidential debates and baseball playoff action to be had. Also, while we have not moved so far in the future that we’ve reached the date Marty McFly went to in Back to the Future Part II (that’s in 2015, perhaps by then people will stop reposting photoshopped images), we have reached the data Avatar is available at retail on Blu-ray 3D. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Avatar (3D)
It’s taken a couple of years, but Avatar is finally widely available on Blu-ray 3D after being tied up as a Panasonic pack-in exclusive. The bad news? It’s not the Extended Collector’s Edition, so if you want 3D and extras your wait may continue. Otherwise, James Cameron’s special effects should be enough to thrill the eyes of anyone that snagged a 3DTV in the last few years and is looking for a good demo disc.
($24.99 on Amazon)

MLB Playoffs
We have reached the league championship series and, assuming both series need some extra games, should be in for excellent baseball all week. The Yankees have lost Derek Jeter for the postseason, but are by no means done… unless their bats stay as cold as they’ve been. In the National League the Giants and the Cardinals are duking it out, we’ll see if the 2-3-2 home field format plays into the outcome for either team, after the Giants took three on the road in the last round.

NBA Preseason
It’s finally time for hoops again, and after some overseas exhibitions you can watch NBA teams work their way back into shape as they take each other on this week. If you’re a basketball fan you probably love TNT’s Thursday night broadcasts, and the first preseason one features the Celtics and the Nets at 8PM.

Continue reading Must See HDTV (October 15th – 21st)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Must See HDTV (October 15th – 21st) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Kickstarter success known as Simple.TV had let it be known that units would start showing up at backers’ doorsteps around October 10th-15th, and now those who happily invested on the project will be pleased to know the company’s doing just as it promised. Meanwhile, folks who were late to the Kickstarter shindig can still grab a simplified video streamer for themselves via the outfit’s site, where a Simple.TV Limited, Premier and Lifetime can be found for $149, $199 and $299, respectively. In case you need a quick refresh, the Simple.TV puck will let users watch and record live TV, which can then be easily streamed to a variety of devices — including, as you can see above, an iPad, Mac or PC as well as Roku boxes. You’ll find more info on what bundle is best suited for you at the source link below.

Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, HD

Simple.TV finally starts shipping to backers, latecomers can still order for $149 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Android 4.1.2 hit the airwaves for upgrades, it was limited to a very exclusive club of Nexus 7 owners. Google has widened the gates considerably as of today: we’re receiving multiple reports of GSM-based Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S owners getting the new Jelly Bean build through official, over-the-air channels. Upgrades here aren’t as noticeable as they are on the reference Android tablet; besides fixes, we’ve mostly heard that it’s now possible to expand a notification with a single finger. Those with CDMA-based phones are left out so far, but if you discover any surprise extras before 4.1.2 hits our own devices, be sure to leave us a tip.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google

Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S start receiving Android 4.1.2 over the air originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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