Hasta La Gadget!

As the story goes, a Kotaku reader just received these PS3 posters (now posted after the break) into the FYE shop where he works. You’ll notice that the “new low price” is augmented with a “while supplies last” disclaimer indicating what could be a close-out on the 80GB (soon $300, reduced from $400) and 160GB ($400, reduced from $500) PlayStation 3 models. More evidence, perhaps, that a PS3 Slim announcement is imminent — even as soon as today’s Sony presser at the Cologne Gamescon Expo that kicks off at 12 noon ET or 1800 for those of you on Central Europe time.

Update: Kmart is now in on the action with a front-page ad (pictured above) that says the “rumors are reality” and then promises linked details about “new low price and a new exciting Playstation 3.” Unfortunately, the link isn’t populated with the new prices or the new model yet but we’ll keep digging.

[Thanks, Jeremy23j and Daniel]

Read — FYE poster
Read — Kmart ad
Read — Kmart home page (wait for ad to cycle)

Continue reading PS3 price cuts appear in print, must be real (update: ‘new exciting Playstation 3’)

Filed under: Gaming

PS3 price cuts appear in print, must be real (update: ‘new exciting Playstation 3’) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At last, the much rumored Dell cellphone has made its first official appearance. The 3.5-inch 360 x 640 pixel device with capacitive touchscreen was on display in China running the Android-based Open Mobile System (OMS). The Mini 3i was on-hand as part of the launch of China Mobile’s new Application Platform that offers music, video, and app downloads to mobile phones from Nokia, Samsung, LG, and apparently, Dell. The candybar device lacks WiFi (or Chinese WAPI) and is strictly 2G GSM (no 3G) but does come with a 3 megapixel camera, microSD slot, Bluetooth, and 950mAh battery. Guess now we know why the early prototypes were met with a collective meh by mobile carriers earlier this year. No idea when this will ship but it looks China-bound for at least the near future. A few more pics after the break.

[Via Cloned In China]

Read — China Mobile’s Application Platform
Read — Dell cooperating with China Mobile
Read — Dell Mini 3i unveil

Continue reading Dell Mini 3i smartphone gets official outing in China

Filed under: Cellphones

Dell Mini 3i smartphone gets official outing in China originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Red’s flexing its 4G muscle today, announcing that it has successfully completed the first true tests on its nascent LTE network — end-to-end data calls that presumably approximate real-world usage. The action actually happened way back on July 15 in Seattle, while Boston just went down today — the two markets where Verizon said it’d be running the first trials — both on 700MHz spectrum won not terribly long ago. LG and Samsung provided the mysterious, unspecified “trial devices,” but don’t worry, Motorola fans — Verizon says they’ve got devices in the pipeline as well. Both Seattle and Boston currently have ten LTE cell sites live as the carrier trudges toward a 2010 date with destiny when it’ll take “up to 30” markets live, at which point EV-DO and HSPA will theoretically feel like trying to send packets via carrier pigeon. Progress!

Update: We just spoke with Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone to expand a bit on the trials. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Though they’re not talking speeds with these trials specifically, they’re confident in saying that everything’s in line for 7-12Mbps down and 3-5Mbps up at launch.
• The trials are being conducted on commercial LTE base station hardware, but everything else is prototype (and changing very rapidly). The end-user equipment doesn’t currently resemble anything you’d actually buy.
• Data modems will be the priority at launch, which makes sense considering the amount of industry flux with regard to voice over LTE. Though Verizon believes the solution will ultimately be some form of VoIP, there are several outstanding issues, including handling of 911 calls.
• Everything in the trial so far leads Verizon to believe that they’re on track for a 30-market launch in 2010.
• This doesn’t spell the end of EV-DO deployments — far from it. Melone says that upgrades could continue all the way through to the initial LTE launch and beyond.

Filed under: Wireless

Verizon tests first data connections on LTE network in Seattle and Boston originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Zune HD lands September 15th, up for pre-order today

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD lands September 15th, up for pre-order today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirmed specs are scarce, but we’re taking the term “desktop parts” — about the only info Dell will spill so far — to heart. Hopefully this new Zino HD mini PC from Dell can live up to its name and kick the sometimes sluggish, laptop-inspired Studio Hybrid to the curb as Dell’s home theater PC of choice. There’s HDMI, eSATA and USB galore, so that’s certainly a good start. Should ship sometime this fall.

Filed under: Desktops

Dell’s Zino HD crams desktop parts into miniature enclosure originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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