Hasta La Gadget!

Looking for a little FCC Friday rapture? HTC’s rumored “women only” smartphone, the Bliss, just passed through the Commission’s gates for a bit of strut and tell. Sporting the model number PI46110, the handset seems destined for a Big Red debut with CDMA 850MHz / 1900MHz bands, WiFi and Bluetooth on-board. The carrier looks to be continuing its recent trend of global-capable phones, as the device also packs a GSM 900MHz radio. While we weren’t able to dig out any concrete dimensions for the phone, we’d err on the side of a 4-inch or below display, considering VZW’s past dalliances with gender-specific marketing — no, we haven’t forgotten those Pre Plus ads. If that leaked roadmap is any indication, you ladies can expect to see this stylish (we assume) Android 2.3 accessory hit on September 29th.

Update: A Verizon mailer has popped up over at xda-developers, and while the camera placement certainly seems to conflict, some folks are suggesting that what’s shown there (and after the break) might just be the first legitimate shot of the Bliss. Here’s hoping, right? Thanks, Liam!

HTC Bliss stops by the FCC dressed in Verizon red (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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N900 owners have been able to press their Sixaxis controllers into service on their handsets for quite sometime, but Android tablets have been stubbornly stuck to a USB tether. That is, until now. Dancing Pixel Studios’ Sixaxis Controller app for Android does exactly what you expect — allows you wirelessly control games on your Google-powered device with a PS3 gamepad. It’s not the simplest setup on Earth. You’ll need to be rooted, and before you can pair it with your phone or tablet you’ll have to connect to a PC via USB and fire up the SixaxisPairTool. The app also doesn’t play nice with most HTC devices or newer Samsung ones. Thankfully, before you drop your hard-earned $1.67 on the app you can download the free Sixaxis Compatibility Checker. Don’t miss the video after the break, and hit up the source links to download both now and make pulling off a hadouken that much easier.

Continue reading Sixaxis Controller Android app makes firing off hadoukens easy as pie (video)

Sixaxis Controller Android app makes firing off hadoukens easy as pie (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The lack of a universal standard for active shutter 3D glasses became painfully clear during our 3D TV shootout last year, and gave plenty of reasons for buyers to skip the pricey specs altogether. Nine months later we see that LG has jumped onto passive 3D and CEA is playing catch up on the IR glasses problem, but many of the new HDTVs for 2011 are using Bluetooth technology to keep their glasses in sync — again without any promise of cross-manufacturer compatibility. A day late and a few dollars short, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and universal glasses maker XpanD are announcing the “Full HD Glasses Initiative” which should lay down a standard for consumer active shutter glasses to communicate over Bluetooth or IR. The new glasses should be backwards compatible with this year’s TVs, although early adopters from 2010 have no such guarantee. The press release (included after the break) indicates we can expect the new models to arrive in 2012, assuming they haven’t lost more ground to the FPR army and can still convince buyers to even look at 3D by then.

Continue reading Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and XpanD finally team up for an active 3D glasses standard

Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and XpanD finally team up for an active 3D glasses standard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s powers of awkward PR translation may have been right on the MeeGo-money, judging by this countdown page for the N9. The Swedish site, which just went live today, has begun its 49 days and counting creep to the Gorilla Glass-clad handset’s eventual overseas debut. We’d previously heard whispers of an impending September 15th release pegged for the OEM’s backyard, but we’ll err on the side of Nokia’s official launch clock. Head to the source to watch this tantalizing tease of time ticking by.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nokia N9 countdown page goes live, 49 days to launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When a company sends a boatload of media players through the FCC, specs and all, it kinds of takes the punch out any official announcement, ya know? Still, it’s nice to finally see Sony’s spate of new Walkman players that we’ve been reading so much about. The company just announced updates to its A, S, and E series of players, all of which have a karaoke mode, language learning function, voice recording, and Sony’s station-creating SensMe feature. At the high-end, you’ve got the stereo Bluetooth-enabled A860, whose 2.8-inch touchscreen has already been splashed across the internets. The more diminutive S760BT has a 2-inch display and also gets Bluetooth, though it claims longer battery life — up to 50 hours of audio playback and up to ten for videos. Rounding out the low end, there’s the E460, which has the same 2-inch screen, but lacks Bluetooth and instead comes in five colors. All three models will go on sale in September, with the A series fetching $179 or $219 for the 8GB and 16GB models, the 8GB S series costing $149, and the E series ranging in price from $79 to $109 for 8GB to 16GB. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony officially outs new A, E, and S series Walkmans

Sony officially outs new A, E, and S series Walkmans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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