Crucial releases m4 SSDs, prices them between $130 and $1,000

Been yearning for more affordable solid state storage built on an even smaller production process? Crucial’s now ready to sate your weirdly specific wants with its 25nm NAND flash-filled m4 SSD, which it has priced at the reasonable level of $130 for a 64GB unit. The company describes it as the fastest drive it has yet introduced, and although early reviews pointed out it’d lost something in read speeds relative to the previous generation, the new m4’s improved write speeds and general performance should certainly make that a compelling entry price. More ambitious archivists will be looking to the 128GB and 256GB models, priced at $250 and $500, respectively, while those without a budget will also be given the option to splash $1,000 on a 512GB m4 SSD. All four varieties come in a standard 2.5-inch form factor, support 6Gbps SATA transfers, and are rated to reach read speeds of 415MBps. Availability is immediate and worldwide, so hit the Crucial link below if you’re keen on getting one for yourself. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Crucial releases m4 SSDs, prices them between $130 and $1,000

Crucial releases m4 SSDs, prices them between $130 and $1,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus S 4G launch on Sprint now official: May 8th for $200

You’ve been able to pre-order the Sprint-ified version of the Nexus S for a good while now, but it’s always good to add a concrete date for the end of the anticipation and the beginning of the Android 2.3 fun. That date has now been officially marked as May 8th. That’s when your Pure Google device will be ready for use and abuse, though you’ll have to accept the usual two-year commitment with Sprint and pay up the typical $200 entry fee. Intriguingly, the Nexus S 4G’s release date matches up with a roadmap leak we saw recently, which also featured the Motorola Xoom launching on Sprint in “early May.” Can’t be long before that goes official as well now. Jump past the break for Sprint’s PR regarding today’s news.

Continue reading Nexus S 4G launch on Sprint now official: May 8th for $200

Nexus S 4G launch on Sprint now official: May 8th for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Karotz to start shipping, Nabaztag to return from dead for Easter

Cadbury aside, nothing says Easter quite like a good resurrection tale, and this story’s got it — starring a rabbit, no less. Owners of Nabaztag, the email-reading / weather-forecasting / and generally adorable WiFi-enable desktop buddy, have been reporting a massive die-off of their beloved ambient bunnies, a tragic end due to a recent server move. The rabbits’ manufacturer tells us that the network issues should be resolved by next week — something of a belated Easter celebration. The rebirth is also perfectly timed to welcome Nabataztag’s second coming as Karotz — those who pre-ordered should start seeing the glowing woodland creature in their mailboxes next week.

Karotz to start shipping, Nabaztag to return from dead for Easter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s LTE-enabled Droid Charge coming to Verizon on April 28th for $300 on contract

Ready for the era of $300 superphones? We know, we aren’t either, but the addition of LTE seems to be justification enough for Verizon Wireless and Samsung to toss a $299.99 subsidized price on the latter’s newest handset. After being leaked a few times over, the borderline-ominous phone is finally getting official. April 28th is the day, with consumers then able to grab a 4.3-inch AMOLED Plus display, rear-facing 8 megapixel camera, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing shooter, 1GHz processor, Android 2.2 and LTE support. Unlimited 4G data plans are still being hawked for $29.99, and while the entry price definitely stings, having mobile hotspot for “no additional charge” is certainly a perk. Might want to be first in line, though — that last snippet will only be offered for “a limited time.”

Continue reading Samsung’s LTE-enabled Droid Charge coming to Verizon on April 28th for $300 on contract

Samsung’s LTE-enabled Droid Charge coming to Verizon on April 28th for $300 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S II to arrive in UK on April 27th, but only through Phones 4u

UK phone retailer Phones 4u has scooped itself a short-term but enviable exclusive — it’ll be the only place in the UK where you’ll be able to buy Samsung’s Galaxy S II in April. The 1.2GHz dual-core Android superphone has already been announced for wide availability in the Queen’s Kingdom on May 1st, but Phones 4u will get you one as early as April 27th, plus it’ll throw in a free 8GB microSD card if you pre-order one now. The Galaxy S II will be available for free on two-year contracts costing £35 per month and above and there’ll be a choice of carriers. Only Orange’s tariffs are listed at the moment, but we imagine the others will be showing up soon as well. Jump past the break for the press release.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II to arrive in UK on April 27th, but only through Phones 4u

Samsung Galaxy S II to arrive in UK on April 27th, but only through Phones 4u originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba’s 10.1-inch Regza AT300 Honeycomb tablet hits Japan in June

Toshiba’s first Honeycomb tablet, which we first laid hands upon back in January, has finally been priced with an honest to goodness ship date. Unfortunately, this 10.1-incher with 1,280 x 800 pixel display, USB, HDMI, and 5 megapixel rear-facing cam is Japan-only for now, where the Tegra-2 powered Android 3.0 tablet has just made its official debut as the Regza AT300 with a ¥60,000 price (about $723). Look for it to hit the hard streets of Nippon in late June. Now if we could just get a name, date, and price for locations a bit closer to home we’d be all set.

Toshiba’s 10.1-inch Regza AT300 Honeycomb tablet hits Japan in June originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA awards $270 million to SpaceX and other commercial spaceflight ventures

NASA has given its seal of approval (and a lot of money) to SpaceX and three other private companies, as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) initiative — a program designed to spur the development of U.S. commercial spaceflight. The agency awarded a total of $270 million to the four lucky winners, with Boeing receiving $92.3 million to help develop its CST-100 capsule design, and the Sierra Nevada Corporation garnering $80 million, which will go toward its shuttle-like Dream Chaser craft. The smallest prize ($22 million) went to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is reportedly looking to create a cone-shaped craft capable of carrying crew members into the abyss. And then, of course, there’s SpaceX, the proud recipient of a cool $75 million in NASA funds. The California-based company has already successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, and is currently working on the Falcon Heavy — a 22-story craft heralded as the “world’s most powerful rocket.” NASA’s extra dough should give a little boost to SpaceX’s projects, but the funds are contingent upon improvements in Dragon’s crew-carrying capacities, to be carried out over the next year. If all goes well, we may see one of these companies launch an intergalactic ‘taxi’ service by the middle of the decade. Saddle up!

NASA awards $270 million to SpaceX and other commercial spaceflight ventures originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook now on sale in the US and Canada, starting at $500 with 16GB of storage

Today is the day in BlackBerry land. The wait for a dual-core device with an up-to-date operating system and that stylized BB logo is now over, and a vast array of stores in the US and Canada are now ready to sell you your PlayBook. Whether you’ll actually want to buy one is less clear-cut, however, as basic productivity apps like native email and calendar aren’t yet available, Android app compatibility hasn’t yet been rolled out, and the PlayBook has an unfavorable dependency on having a BlackBerry smartphone nearby in order to be the best tablet it can be. Still, if you believe in RIM’s ability to overcome those early software hurdles, the PlayBook’s ready for ownership in exchange for $500 for the 16GB model, $600 for the 32GB version, or $700 for the 64GB-equipped top option (prices are the same in both US and Canadian dollars).

BlackBerry PlayBook now on sale in the US and Canada, starting at $500 with 16GB of storage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Atrix to launch exclusively with Orange UK in early May

Just in time to duel with the Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola’s Atrix is crossing the Atlantic for an early May release in Orange livery. UK carrier Orange has proudly announced it’ll be the “exclusive launch partner” for the Atrix in the UK, offering the dual-core handset for free on two-year contracts costing £35 per month or more. A Work and Play Kit that includes the phone’s Multimedia Dock will be made available at a reduced £50 price to new customers buying the phone, or for free to existing Orange subscribers upgrading to the Atrix during May. Business customers on some of the more overpriced fully featured tariffs will also get the chance to snap up the Lapdock for free. Jump past the break for Orange’s fulll press release or hit the source link to register your interest now.

Continue reading Motorola Atrix to launch exclusively with Orange UK in early May

Motorola Atrix to launch exclusively with Orange UK in early May originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP planning Veer launch party for May 2nd, AT&T brings cake for webOS 3.0 devs

We still don’t have a solid release date for HP’s tiny Veer — we’ve been told it’s “coming around the corner” and will be here “soon” — but if we were the guessing type, we’d say that the pint-sized webOS 2.2 smartphone will hit the market on or about the 2nd of May. That’s because a PreCentral reader stumbled across what looks like an official invitation to an “HP Veer Launch Party Event” in Los Angeles on that very date, and it’s typically fairly difficult to launch a handset without a handset to launch, if you know what we mean. Still, this looks like a business-to-business event, so we wouldn’t circle your calendar quite yet — but if you’ve already got that red marker out, you might want to put a X over May 12th instead. That’s the day that AT&T is hosting a webOS 3.0 developer webcast — which might be worth attending in and of itself — but is particularly noteworthy given that HP hasn’t announced carriers for the Veer or SIM-slot packing HP TouchPad just yet.

[Thanks, Brian L.]

HP planning Veer launch party for May 2nd, AT&T brings cake for webOS 3.0 devs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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