Hasta La Gadget!

The gray clouds of Sharp’s gloomy earnings are about to get a silver lining: NTT DoCoMo is at last launching Sharp’s new flagship phone, the breathlessly worded Aquos Phone Zeta SH-02E, on November 29th. When it arrives, the SH-02E will be its* first smartphone to carry an IGZO-based display and show us just how well the high-brightness, low-energy invention fares in a 4.9-inch, 720p LCD. There’s no known fixed pricing, although it’s likely the Android 4.0 device will be sitting at the very top of its Japanese carrier’s range through its Snapdragon S4 Pro, 16-megapixel camera and LTE data. Not fully convinced of IGZO’s worth? Fujitsu’s more conventional Arrows V F-04E is arriving a day earlier with a regular LCD and a Tegra 3, although we’d say that it’s worth waiting the extra 24 hours to be a technology vanguard.

Update: While the SH-02E was the first phone announced with an IGZO LCD screen, it’s been beaten to the market by ASUS’ Padfone 2, which is also rocking the new technology.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Impress Watch (translated)

Source: NTT DoCoMo (translated)

It’s that time friends, the weekend when we say goodbye to the college football regular season. While there’s plenty of NBA, college basketball, college hockey, and NHL action to tide us over, it just won’t be the same until the bowls get into full swing. TNT is bringing back a couple of shows from fall hiatus, and we’ve got a few Blu-ray 3D titles hitting shelves. 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.

The Walking Dead
After an often lackluster second season (until the finale), AMC’s hit show has been firing on all cylinders since then and we’re actually disappointed that we’re wrapping up the first half of season three so soon. Between goings-on at the jail and in town, there’s sure to be plenty of action, people choosing sides and, oh yeah, zombies.
(AMC, December 2nd, 9PM)

College Football
This weekend the college football regular season comes to a close, with several conference championships and a couple of other rivalry games that will play into bowl selections. We’ll find out who will be joining Notre Dame in the Championship Game once the SEC title has been awarded, and where everyone else is going Sunday night. Whether you love the current system or love to hate it, cherish it, since after next year we’re going to a playoff and fans will have to be angry about a slightly different set of circumstances.

MLS Cup
While much of the news is about David Beckham’s departure from MLS after this weekend, there’s still a game to be played. LA takes on Houston Saturday afternoon, so if you prefer your football played mostly with one’s feet, you know where to tune in.
(ESPN, December 1st, 4:30PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (November 26th – December 2nd)

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History would kindly tell us that this isn’t the very first deal Netflix and Warner Bros. have struck in past months — and, well, chances are it won’t be the last one either. Earlier today, the streaming giant announced it had reached a new exclusive agreement with the California-based studio which will bring a hefty amount of new content to subscribers in Canada. Starting January of next year, Netflix streamers in the Great White North can start watching TV shows such as The Vampire Diaries, Fringe and Pretty Little Liars, as well as films like The Hangover Part II, Horrible Bosses and even the critically-acclaimed blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises — although these movies will come “for a limited period following their pay television window.” There’s still some time before the deal bears fruit, so perhaps the next few weeks could be used to start clearing that overloaded Instant Queue of yours.

Continue reading Netflix announces new deal with Warner, will deliver popular content to Canadian streamers

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Source: Netflix

Want to relive the labors of setting up Nintendo’s new console? How about taking the aural route? DJ Cutman has cut together an unofficial greatest hits album from the Wii U’s built-in soundtrack, encompassing memorable ‘hits’ like the firmware update and menu tunes. We’ve embedded one of Nintendo’s decidedly relaxed tracks after the break, while there’s a little bit more info (and some download links) for the unofficial project at the source below.

Continue reading Wii U system music gets collected into unofficial nine-track album

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Source: DJ Cutman

Well, that was quick. We started off this month with word from Samsung that its 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II passed three million in sales, and now the company is announcing it’s moved two million more in less than a month. Now available on North American carriers the stylus-packing smartphone is apparently experiencing popularity in all regions, with no sign of slowing down. It’s even had the rite of passage of being included in an Apple lawsuit, and a new ad focusing on using the stylus to become an internet meme. It may not be ready to challenge the smaller Galaxy S III for the company sales crown just yet, but with five million out the door and more every minute, XL-sized handsets are clearly here to stay.

Continue reading Samsung announces Galaxy Note II has moved 5 million units worldwide

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: Samsung Korea