Hasta La Gadget!

We can’t guarantee what this box contains, but if the list of specs is accurate then it’s definitely too good to gift-wrap. The photo above was posted to a Chinese forum thread entitled “Padfone 2 specs revealed” by a user called cj1024, and indeed the A68 model number at the top of the list does sound appropriate, considering the original Padfone was the A66. If we assume it’s legit, for the sake of argument, then maybe we can expect ASUS’s next modular phone to come with the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 13-megapixel camera resolution that are already strutting around in the LG Optimus G, alongside an uncommonly bright, 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 Super IPS+ display, LTE and 2GB of RAM. You can digest the rest for yourself, or just wait until October 16th.

Update: Keen-eyed doubter Firuz has spotted a problem: the display icon says “SuperAMOLED” even though the specs state “Super IPS.” Dodgy ‘chop or actual packaging error? You decide.

Filed under: Cellphones

Packaging hints at ASUS Padfone 2 having 4.7-inch 720p display, 13MP camera, quad-core S4 Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone who follows video game news knows that there is never any shortage of Half-Life 3 rumors, but this one probably takes the cake as far as extravagant claims go. French gaming site Le Journal du Gamer (via International Business Times) has spoken to an anonymous source close to Valve who claims to have some surprising information on the development of Half-Life 3. According to this source, development on Half-Life 3 has been restarted several times, with Valve’s latest attempt at getting it right going in a completely different direction.

Apparently, Valve has decided to toss in some open world elements with Half-Life 3. Inspired by other games like Skyrim and Fallout, Half-Life 3 will feature NPCs that give the player quests to complete and a sandbox world to wander around in. No, we’re not kidding – this is what the latest rumor claims.

According to the source, the game won’t release until sometime after 2013, which suggests an early 2014 release date for Half-Life 3. That’s a little easier to believe, as are the whispers that claim Half-Life 3 is currently in development. We’re a little hesitant to believe that Half-Life 3 will come offering open world elements, however, as open world has never really been Valve’s style.

Who knows though? Perhaps Valve has truly decided that it’s time for a change. The studio has already mastered the linear FPS, so maybe the developers at Valve are looking for a new challenge and have decided that Half-Life 3 would be the perfect way to test out the idea of an open world. As hard as it is to believe, an open world Half-Life could be pretty cool, but we’re still not convinced that Valve has taken development in that direction. What do you think? Would you like to see an open world Half-Life game, or would you prefer it if Half-Life 3 was more like its predecessors in terms of gameplay?

Half-Life 3 has reportedly become an open world game is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google intends to launch a new version of Google Maps for Android to coincide with Apple’s release of iOS 6, which will strip the search giant’s mapping software from iPhones and iPads. The updated Android app will synchronize better with multiple devices, Google VP of engineering for maps Brian McClendon told the NYTimes, with search results discovered on the desktop more readily available on a mobile device.

“Typing on a phone is slow, and our goal is to reduce the amount of typing as much as possible” McClendon explained. If users are logged into the same Google account on both phone and browser, typing a search term on the phone that has previously been looked up on the desktop version will pull over an auto-complete suggestion, saving your fingers.

The update is a timely one, as it arrives when Apple pushes out its own rival software for mapping on iOS devices. While the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have relied on Google’s software until now, the Android/iOS rivalry has prompted Apple to create its own version, with TomTom mapping data and a new “flyover” feature with 3D and photo graphics of cities.

iOS 6 features on the iPhone 5:

Google declined to comment on Apple’s new Maps application, but McClendon did point out that “experience is important.” Apple lacks a search engine of its own, something Google relies on to feed Google Maps with contextual information.

iOS 6 is expected to drop for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad 2, new iPad, and iPod touch owners at roughly 1PM ET today. Google has not said exactly when its update will go live.

[via The Verge]

Google Maps for Android update reportedly timed for iOS 6 coincide is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

What’s tipped to be one of HTC’s new Windows Phone 8 devices, the HTC Accord believed to launch as the “Windows Phone 8X,” has shown up in the wild. Expected to be officially revealed at a New York event tomorrow, the phone in the live photo sent by an anonymous phoneArena tipster also bears Verizon branding, and the source says it will also support the CDMA carrier’s LTE network.

Those earlier leaks also suggested some specifications we can expect, including a dualcore Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4.3-inch display, and an 8-megapixel camera. Interestingly, the leaked specs also claimed that the 8X/Accord would be able to record 1080p Full HD video using both the front and rear cameras.

Other tidbits include Beats Audio, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, GPS and NFC, while physical ports will consist of microUSB and a 3.5mm headphones socket. No microSD has been mentioned, however, which would mean the rumored 16GB of internal storage is all buyers are getting.

We’ll know more after HTC’s event tomorrow, when the company is expected to spill all the details on its new range. What we really want to know, however, is when the Windows Phone 8 smartphones will actually reach store shelves, but we may have to wait for Microsoft to officially launch the OS before manufacturers can step up with that news.

Windows Phone 8X aka HTC Accord spotted with Verizon LTE is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We doubt this will significantly dampen rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S IV announcement in March of next year, but any optimists who were expecting an official confirmation six months in advance won’t be getting one. Our grasp of Korean isn’t the best, but here’s a tweet from the company’s official Korean account indicating rumors of a Galaxy S successor simply aren’t true. Of course, with the kinds of sales the line has seen to date it seems like a reasonable assumption that Samsung will keep cranking them out as long as the courts will let it for the foreseeable future, so it’s certainly more a question of when, than if. Throw in the fact that the original Galaxy S was announced in March, the Galaxy S II in February, and the Galaxy S III in May — and the when narrows down appreciably.

Continue reading Samsung: Galaxy S IV March 2013 rumors are not true

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung: Galaxy S IV March 2013 rumors are not true originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 03:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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