Hasta La Gadget!

It was easy to get lost amidst all the attention surrounding the 3DS itself, but Nintendo also had an actual 3DS game cart on hand at E3 and, well, it looks pretty much like a regular DS cart (probably a good thing, since the two are compatible). About the only difference, it seems, is that small extra tab on the corner, and a slightly slimmer case that they’ll come packaged in. In other overshadowed-by-E3 news, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has apparently told Nikkei that the 3DS’ wireless connection could be used to automatically download newspaper and magazine articles (and books, presumably) which, when combined with the 3DS’ ability to actively seek out and connect to any open WiFi network, could potentially turn into a Whispernet-like service from Nintendo — something that Iwata has, incidentally, publicly mused about in the past.

Nintendo 3DS game cart pictured, wireless ebook reader on tap? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon has finally stopped teasing and let the 2.5 Kindle firmware update loose for all and sundry. It had become available as a download for international users a few days ago, and as of today their American counterparts can partake in the same manual update. But only if they wish to be proactive. All Kindles that have their wireless connections turned on will be getting the drop over the next few weeks. So what’s all the fuss about? In version 2.5, you’ll be able to organize books into collections (or folders as most of us call them), share favored passages via Twitter and Facebook, zoom and pan around PDFs, lock down your Kindle with a password, and enjoy the benefits of two added large font sizes and improved sharpness all around. If that sounds too appealing to wait for, hit the source link to find the manual download and install instructions.

[Thanks, Jason]

Kindle 2.5 firmware now available for keepsies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well what do you know, turns out the LB4400 was a harbinger of things to come. LG Display and iriver just announced a $5M joint venture to manufacture e-book readers. The new China-based company, L&I Electronic Technology (Dongguan) Ltd, sees iriver doing the platform development and product design (thank gawd) while LG provides the EPD displays. It’s interesting to note that the company will act as an OEM/ODM to anyone looking to slap their brand on an e-book reader… after iriver — the company’s first customer — takes the pick of the litter.

Continue reading LG Display and iriver enter joint venture to make e-book readers pretty, affordable

LG Display and iriver enter joint venture to make e-book readers pretty, affordable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer LumiRead L600 shows up under glass at Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already had the opportunity to sit down and tinker with a slew of Pixel Qi-based prototype devices here in Taipei, but one in particular managed to catch our eye in a rather surprising location. Innoversal, a new company here in Taiwan just looking to change the world, found itself hosting a striking 10.1-inch device that grabbed our heartstrings and wouldn’t let go. The highlight of the starlet was the expansive 3Qi capacitive touchpanel, with a 1,024 x 600 resolution and the ability to save battery life by flipping the backlight off when in broad daylight. The current build was relying on a trio of ambient light sensors to determine whether or not the backlight would be on, but we begged and pleaded for the company to implement a dedicated on / off toggle switch along the border before shipping it out. Speaking of which, Innoversal will most likely ship the product under its own branding here in Taiwan, but it’s certainly open to selling the design to other major manufacturers who may wish to slap their own logo on there. If all goes well, we could see it first take off this September (globally), with a 16GB + 3G / WiFi model retailing for between $530 and $550.

So, what’s that get you? Besides the best power-saving mobile display this world has ever seen (seriously, the crispness and viewing angles were extraordinary), you’ll also get a 1.66GHz Atom N450 processor, an integrated SSD (16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities will be available), an SDHC card slot, 8 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, a SIM card slot (for 3G data), USB 2.0 connectivity, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a 6-cell (5,300mAh) battery to boot. We were told that the device will support Windows 7, Android, Ubuntu and Chrome OS, with the former two being on display at the show. The working mockup that was on display was sufficiently lightweight and sturdy, and we’d be fibbing to ourselves if we said we weren’t giddy about the prospect of holding a finalized unit before Old Man Winter comes to visit. Hop on past the break for a video overview… or else.

Continue reading Innoversal’s Pixel Qi-based tablet prototype: $530 for the display of your dreams

Innoversal’s Pixel Qi-based tablet prototype: $530 for the display of your dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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