Hasta La Gadget!

Enterprising readers have probably been rocking the four-point-oh release of Firefox since it slipped out a little early last night, but now you can get yourself that same, fully-legit version from a new, fully-legit address. The browser’s live and, as you can see from the rolling download counter Mozilla has set up, a couple-hundred-thousand of you have already got it going on. So, what are your thoughts? Let your voice be heard in the poll and comments below.

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Firefox 4 is officially released, how are you liking it? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re filling the time between now and the NGP‘s holiday season release the best way we know how: by hunting down yet more information about it. Andrew House, the man in charge of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has delivered the latest tidbit in an interview with MCV, where he states unequivocally that every game on the next PlayStation Portable will be available to buy as a download. Notably, he also expresses Sony’s desire to have simultaneous distribution in both digital and physical channels, but that sounds a lot less concrete than his promise that every game will be downloadable. Digital-only games also figure prominently in Andrew’s vision of the NGP’s future, as he expects them to diversify choice for consumers alongside the big time titles like Uncharted. To learn more about Sony’s replacement of UMDs with flash memory and the reasoning behind the PlayStation Suite, follow the source link below for the full interview.

Sony: every NGP game will be available to download, some might not even make it to physical release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has released an early WebM plug-in for Microsoft’s latest and greatest browser, IE9 — stepping in to fill a gap that Microsoft itself refused to fill. You may remember the firm’s decision to not build in support for the new standard natively, but that it was “all in” with HTML5, WebM’s close cousin. Billed as a “technology preview” at this stage of the game, the add-on will enable users to play all WebM video content just like the good Internet overlords intended them to, despite the fact that an additional download is needed. Microsoft said that it would allow for support and it appears to be following up on its word, regardless of other harsher comments made separately. Isn’t it good to see big companies getting along? Now if only these same niceties played out in the mobile landscape, then we’d really be getting somewhere.

[Thanks, ChrisSsk]

Internet Explorer 9 gets WebM support with ‘preview’ plug-in from Google, internet video gets more friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad news for those that plan on using a flash card with their 3DS — if Nintendo detects that you’ve been dabbing with one, the company might send a firmware update that could possibly brick your system. According to GoNintendo, Japanese retailer Enterking posted a warning message on their site, suggesting that your system might be unbootable after a software update if Nintendo detects you’ve been using an R4. Enterking is not buying used 3DSs that have a history of using an illegal cartridge — a transparent indication that it’s not taking any chances here. We can’t know for sure if Nintendo will dish out said update or how Enterking might tell — however, Nintendo did issue this statement to Eurogamer in response to their story on the topic:

“We do not discuss product security details (for obvious reasons), nor can we discuss the details of countermeasures available in the Nintendo 3DS system. Nintendo 3DS has the most up-to-date technology. The security has been designed to protect both the creative works in the software and to protect the Nintendo 3DS hardware system itself.

Nintendo, like most companies, takes a palpable stance against piracy. We recommend that those fortunate enough to own a 3DS stay away from the flash cards altogether, just in case.

Update: Flash cards aren’t illegal to use per se — homebrew, anyone? — although certain countries have banned them from import and sale, and their widespread use for illegal activity makes them a dubious proposition quite often.

Nintendo can remotely brick your 3DS after flash card use? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know all that rumor and speculation about Apple launching a subscription-based streaming music service? Forget it — at least until the next rumor comes along. Bloomberg is citing three people with knowledge of private talks between Apple, Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music to make purchased music more easily accessible to iTunes users. Two sources claim that an agreement could be announced by midyear. Contrary to popular speculation aroused by Apple’s purchase of Lala, they’re not talking about streaming music from Apple’s new North Carolina data center scheduled to come online in the spring. According to Bloomberg‘s sources, Apple is instead, planning to offer unlimited downloads to any device linked to the same iTunes account. So, purchase a track on your iPhone and download it again for free to your iPad without having to go back and tether the mobile device to your PC or Mac for a sync. Hard disk crash? No worries, there’s a permanent backup in the cloud. Of course, there’s nothing preventing Apple from providing unlimited downloads in parallel with a streaming service except for the labels and artists who prefer the higher revenues paid out by download services. Then again, if it was left to them we’d still be buying our music on $15 CDs.

Incidentally, one Bloomberg source was also caught blabbing about Apple’s plans to overhaul the MobileMe service to store pictures, video, and other online content sometime this year. Better yet, it could drop from $99 per year to free — something already reported by the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago.

Apple working on unlimited downloads of purchased iTunes music, setting MobileMe free? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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