You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Welcome to Friday evening everyone. First up, it seems HTC will be releasing a variation of the HTC First without Facebook Home, and we’ve a piece on whether you should wait for this handset. Speaking of HTC, it is also rolling out the HTC One Live Experience tour in the US. T-Mobile’s iPhone 5 is now up for pre-order (and an update is rolling out), and the iPad’s prices have been slashed, hinting that a new model could be on the way.
The wonderful Google April Fool’s joke – a pink Tesla Batmobile – is rolling around California right now, and EA has responded to the “Worst Company in America” poll with a statement that it can do better. It looks like the folks in Austin, Texas could be seeing super fast Internet thanks to Google Fiber in the future, and the cube-shaped Android gaming console OUYA has started shipping.
Microsoft has been vocal about Facebook Home, and also has new Microsoft Stores opening up this month. Samsung has rolled out the Galaxy Note 8.0 in the United Kingdom, and BlackBerry’s R10 and Q10 handsets will be hitting shelves soon. Alienware unveiled an Ubuntu version of its previously Windows-only X51 laptop. Improved contacts and a passcode lock have been rolled out for Evernote Hello for iPhone, and the ever-popular Minecraft for PC has exceeded 10 million in sales.
Speaking of games, Black Ops II Uprising DLC will be available on April 16, and GameStop has expanded its trade-in program for electronics. Netflix has added 720p HD for Windows Phone 8/7.8, and Arthur Frommer, not willing to see the popular Frommer’s travel guides go out of print, bought them back from Google. On the automotive front, T-Mobile’s data plan for Audi will start at $15 per month, while the science story of the day involves the Hubble telescope finding the most distant supernova to date. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of the night folks!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: April 5, 2013 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
As the OUYA Android gaming console hits the first tier partners and Kickstarter funders, the team behind production has made it clear that starting next week, they’ll be building and shipping market-ready units 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With the standard OUYA unit, you’ll be seeing a grey console and grey controller the manufacturing process will hit full steam, while Kickstarter exclusive units and units with more than one controller will be produced soon after standard production is up and running.
This week kicks off a weekly update series from OUYA as well. According to OUYA, they’ll be hitting final delivery inside May for those that have already ordered their unit. Pre-shipping alerts will be going off a week before your order is queued up, and OUYA is brining on new vendors as we speak – this means quicker delivery.
Long story short, the OUYA gaming console will be coming to you soon, but not really all that much sooner than you’ve expected before today. You’ll be rolling out with a vast collection of games by the time your unit is in your hands, and more partners appear to be teaming up with the device each week. That’s good news!
Have a peek at a collection of updates and features we’ve got on the OUYA below, and don’e forget to stick around our OUYA tag portal for more information on the device through the future as well!
[via OUYA]
OUYA production goes full steam: shipping has begun! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The OUYA‘s off to a rough start, with reviewers — us included — encountering button sticking and faceplate issues with the controller, and a variety of complaints about the $99 game console’s OS software. A variety of backers also received their console in the mail with the controller’s removable faceplates already removed, having slipped off during shipment. OUYA’s addressing at least some of these concerns by the console’s June 4th launch, company CEO Julie Uhrman promises in a letter to backers on OUYA’s official site.
“Our software is constantly evolving,” Uhrman says. As such, OUYA has “a host of features” that it’s working on adding to the console ahead of its impending retail launch: “external storage for games, simpler game install process, more metrics for developers, controller support for video players, and more payment options.” But first, Uhrman says her team is “focused on optimizing the performance of our software (this mean responsiveness),” directly addressing criticisms of the console’s seeming lag between input and on-screen response. As for the controller, OUYA is “considering adding additional magnets” to help with the faceplate issue — the controller’s faceplates are attached via six magnets apiece, currently. It’s unclear if the controller will change in any other significant ways ahead of the console’s retail availability, but we’re hopeful that the button sticking issue is also addressed.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD
Source: OUYA
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Most modern gaming consoles are big, heavy and power-thirsty. They dominate the entertainment centers into which they’re placed and suck down hundreds of watts of electricity when they’re running. They’ve evolved this way, growing larger and more powerful to deliver better graphics and more comprehensive gameplay experiences. So too have their talents expanded. It’s no longer good enough for a gaming console to simply play games: modern systems have to be complete home entertainment devices.
Or do they? When the OUYA was announced in July of 2012, its $99 cost was low and its processing power as simple as its premise: a tiny little box designed to be a haven for those who want to play (or develop) good, original games. Many gamers connected with this idea immediately, helping to drive the system to an $8 million run on Kickstarter. Plenty of others didn’t, saying this would be just a cheap distraction on which to play mediocre Android games. The truth, as it turns out, lies somewhere in between.
Gallery: OUYA review
Filed under: Gaming
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
With Kickstarter backer shipments kicking off last Thursday, it’s no surprise that some folks are already receiving their OUYA consoles. Two of our US-based, East Coast staffers just got their consoles this morning, and here we are with an unboxing video and screens so that you can share in the excitement with us. Of course, we’ll have a full review of the Android-powered $99 game console coming later this week — long before the console becomes available at retail on June 4th — so keep your eyes loose and your brains ready. For now, enjoy the melange of media we’ve prepared for you; should you prefer a deeper dive, our hands-on is right here.
Gallery: OUYA console unboxing
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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