160GB PS3 Slim, 320GB Move bundle coming to US and Europe this fall

The leaks weren’t wrong, they just weren’t the whole story. A 160GB PlayStation 3 Slim is indeed coming to the US — Europe, too — but additionally, there’s a heftier 320GB Sports Champions Move bundle. The former standalone console is available now stateside for $299, and according to the GamesCom press conference, Europeans will have to wait until October for 299 Euros. As for the biggie, which includes the game and one-player Move package, that’s due out September 19th in US (or September 15th across the pond) for $399 and 349 Euros, respectively — just in time for holiday shopping sprees.

160GB PS3 Slim, 320GB Move bundle coming to US and Europe this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceJoystiq, PlayStation blog  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 launching on November 10 in Europe

While Microsoft’s new controller-free Kinect for Xbox 360 will be hitting US shores on November 4th, we’ve just learned that it’ll officially land in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on November 10th. Sure, that’s a bit of a wait, but take heart in knowing that Microsoft’s targeting an October launch of its Xbox Live lovin’ Windows Phone 7 handsets in Europe compared to a November release in the US. Otherwise, we’re looking at the same 15 exclusive Kinect game titles already announced at E3.

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Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 launching on November 10 in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tata bringing two all-electric cars to a Europe near you by March

First of all, don’t worry, the spontaneously combusting Nano isn’t among the pair of newly Euro-bound EVs from Tata. Going slightly more upmarket, the Indian company will be launching the Indica Vista EV hatchback for eco-conscious Brits and Scandinavians early next year, alongside the somewhat less exciting Ace, a commercial mini-truck. The Indica Vista has clearly had a few trials and tribulations in coming to market in an all-electric form, having originally been promised to Norwegian tree huggers for 2009, so let’s just hope that this schedule is the one that sticks. It’s about time this whole EV movement got some more affordable options.

Tata bringing two all-electric cars to a Europe near you by March originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  sourceThe Hindu Business line  | Email this | Comments

Europeans Realize Dream of a Single Charger for All Cellphones

Cellphone battery dead? No problem: Just borrow a charger from a friend. Oh, wait — you can’t, because your friend doesn’t have the same phone as you, and his charger won’t work with your phone.

That annoyance will end next year, for Europeans at least. Thanks to the efforts of the European Commission, most cellphones sold in Europe will have a one-size-fits-all charger starting in 2011. So far, 10 major cellphone makers, including Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Research In Motion, have signed on to the agreement.

Americans will have to wait. Without a government agency setting a deadline, it’s up to handset makers to make the switch to a single standard. All consumers can do is let their old chargers gather dust in a drawer, while hoping manufacturers will eventually converge on a standardized charger.

“For the FCC, this is probably number 5,000 on their list and it is legislative priority number 10,000 at this point,” says Joe Banos, chief operating officer for Wilson Electronics, which makes cellphone boosters and antennas. “We believe the U.S. will ultimately follow Europe here, but the question is when.”

Today each cellphone ships with its own charger. Different companies use different connectors — and often different models from the same company do too, making it difficult for users to borrow a charger. And when it’s time to toss the phone, the charger also goes into the bin.

A universal charger means consumers don’t have to get a new charger with every mobile phone. As a bonus, it’ll be easier to borrow a charger when in need.

And if all that isn’t enough, there’s the green aspect. One-size-fits-all means fewer chargers will wind up in the landfill, less electronic waste, and fewer resources consumed in manufacturing chargers.

In 2009, the European Commission said it reached a voluntary agreement with handset manufacturers to use the micro-USB connector for the charger. Starting in 2011, all phone models sold in Europe would then have compatible chargers. Now, that agreement is taking effect.

Changing the rules in the U.S.

Smartphone makers in the United States are moving toward something similar, but more slowly. Motorola and Samsung have said they will offer a standard charger here but haven’t committed to a deadline. It’s a complex game where each handset maker is optimizing for itself, but collectively those decisions might help realize the goal of having a universal charger, probably centered on micro-USB.

“For the most part it is already happening here with smartphones,” says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at the Altimeter Group. “An HTC Evo charger will charge a Nexus One or Incredible, as long as it has a micro-USB connector.”

The major holdouts in the U.S. are Apple and Research In Motion. Apple uses a proprietary 30-pin connector for its iPhone, while many BlackBerry chargers and devices are engineered so they will work only when paired together, says Wilson’s Banos.

But even among companies that use micro-USB, it’s still not a standard.

“There’s the flat, wide mini-USB connector; the short, squat micro-USB; and different versions in between,” says Allen Nogee, an analyst at In-Stat research. “They are all still using different versions of the USB connector.”

But if you can get a connector to fit into the phone, it doesn’t matter which model it is for or which company made it, because all USB-based chargers deliver the same voltage, say experts.

The push to change the situation in the U.S. could come from accessories makers for smartphones, says Nogee. Today, when you buy a new battery pack or car charging kit, it comes with a little bag stuffed with connectors so users can pick the right ones for their phones.

“It is much more expensive for these companies to support different phones and connectors,” says Nogee. “But the problem is that so far, accessories makers haven’t had enough say in the phone manufacturing process.”

Ultimately, economics will force handset makers in the U.S. to change, say industry experts. As companies move to a universal charger in Europe, they will bring the same connectors to U.S. models.

It’s not clear how Apple will make the change, but it is certain that if the company moves to a micro USB-based connector for its new iPhone model in Europe, U.S. customers can expect the same.

“It makes so much sense that I believe the U.S. will follow,” says Banos. “It would be insane not to.”

See Also:

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


Finland the first country in the world to make broadband access a legal right

We knew this was coming, but starting today, every citizen of Finland has the legal right to a 1Mbps broadband connection, meaning that providers are now required to make the connections available to everyone. The government of Finland has also promised to make good on its goal of getting every citizen with a 100Mbps connection by 2015, saying that they now consider internet access a basic requirement of daily life. We’re with you on that one, we promise.

Finland the first country in the world to make broadband access a legal right originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Xbox 360 priced at €249.99 in Europe

While those lucky enough to find themselves in America can start hoarding new Xbox 360 consoles this week, folks in Europe are being forced to wait until July 16th. But hey, at least you now know how much it’ll cost you when that fateful day arrives, right? Microsoft has just fessed up to a €249.99 ($305) MSRP for the Xbox 360 250GB, complete with WiFi and one of those Kinect-friendly auxiliary ports. In related news, Wired.co.uk is also reporting that the console will sell for £200 ($294) when it lands in Britain, but we’re still waiting on the Big M to confirm that one.

New Xbox 360 priced at €249.99 in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEngadget Spanish, Wired  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy S launches in Europe, hitting US ‘later this year’

So that simultaneous global launch isn’t going to materialize quite as we were told, but Samsung is indeed bringing the Galaxy S to the widest possible audience. The Korean giant has made its 2010 flagship official in Europe today, meaning you should be able to sign your life away to your favorite carrier in exchange for it very soon indeed. We’re told the 4-incher will be making its American debut later in the year, though a protracted delay appears unlikely. Pricing on the Galaxy S might not turn out to be all that democratic, but its comprehensive choice of more than 100 global carriers sure will be, and might suggest we’ll get a choice of networks when the phone finally makes its way Stateside. Hang tight, gringos, not long to go now.

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Samsung Galaxy S launches in Europe, hitting US ‘later this year’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Flipout official: Android 2.1 and enhanced Motoblur coming to Europe in Q2 2010 (video)

Motorola’s quirky square-shaped Android 2.1 creation has just become official, courtesy of the company’s YouTube channel.The Flipout brings a 2.8-inch, 320 x 240 screen (Kin killer!), a 3 megapixel camera with “one-touch” uploads to Facebook, MySpace and photo-hosting sites, and a refreshed implementation of Motoblur, which now includes resizable widgets, feed filters, and push corporate email. We hear that last feature is a real must-have with the target audience of this device.Video of the Flipout can be found just after the break, and Euro readers can expect it imminently, as the listed Q2 2010 launch date basically means it’ll be out by month’s end. Wonder how they’ll price a curious creature like this.

Update: Our pals at Recombu got a quick hands-on with the Flipout, and… it’s a square Android phone. Video after the break.

Update 2: We’ve come across a more comprehensive spec sheet on Moto’s dev site, which lists AT&T- and Rogers-compatible 3G bands, make of that what you will.

[Thanks, Martin]

Continue reading Motorola Flipout official: Android 2.1 and enhanced Motoblur coming to Europe in Q2 2010 (video)

Motorola Flipout official: Android 2.1 and enhanced Motoblur coming to Europe in Q2 2010 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AndroidOS.in  |  sourcemotorola (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

iPads arriving a day early in UK

People, calm yourselves! Our inbox has been overflowing with excited Brits telling us their iPads are either en route or already delivered, a whole Earthly day ahead of the promised May 28 launch. We’re sure the UK is not alone, as we’ve already witnessed an unboxing video from Italy claiming to be the first to take delivery in Europe, so consider this a friendly reminder if you’re expecting to receive a magical device in the near future: objects in your Apple shopping basket may be closer than they appear.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iPads arriving a day early in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Europe gets first fast-charging EV station, hungers for more

Epyon, a small Dutch startup, is showing the big boys how it’s done with its recently unveiled fast-charging station for electric vehicles. Billed as Europe’s first commercially available charger of its kind, this unit will recharge anything up to a nine-seater taxi van within 30 minutes, thanks to its 50 kilowatts of power capacity. It’s now installed alongside more conventional petrol and diesel refilling points in a fueling station over in Leeuwarden. That’s the capital city of Friesland, a Dutch province that has set itself the ambitious goal of having 100,000 EVs on its roads by 2015. That aim is shared by the wider European Union as well, which yesterday agreed on defining a common electric recharging standard, whose universality might attract skeptical consumers and more cautious investors into the field. They’ve set themselves a deadline of “mid-2011,” though the broad outlines and new incentives for buying greener cars are likely to appear by the end of this year.

Europe gets first fast-charging EV station, hungers for more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 04:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  sourceGreen Car Advisor, PhysOrg  | Email this | Comments