Hasta La Gadget!

Quick refreshing of Microsoft’s E3 landing page has apparently revealed some of the things it will be announcing within a couple of hours at its E3 press conference, including new features for Xbox Live like Voice Search and new look for the service. With the explosive popularity of the Kinect add-on, it looks like the system is being refashioned with support built in from the ground up as opposed to the current menu system that’s more of an afterthought. Also mentioned on the page are Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports Season 2 and most importantly, two new Halo games. One is Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary which appears to be the HD (& possibly 3D) remake leaked by Joystiq previously, while the other is Halo 4 — no explanation needed. We’ll surely find out everything when the press conference kicks off live at 12:30 p.m. Eastern and of course we’ll be covering all of the news live right here.

Update: Microsoft’s just confirmed some of the leaked information onstage at its E3 keynote, with demonstrations of a deeply integrated voice command setup powered by Kinect. YouTube has been announced as an Xbox Live partner, while Bing is coming to the console to let users search across Netflix, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Hulu all at once.That universal search also extends to new live TV partnerships with Sky, Canal+ and Foxtel.

Update 2: Want a better look at the revamped Xbox 360 UI that blends in more of a Metro look with the old Kinect UI elements? Look no further than the gallery below.

[Thanks, q & Pradeep]

Continue reading Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 UI has Bing voice search across Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and live TV

Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 UI has Bing voice search across Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and live TV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile might launch Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart June 22nd? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here in the states, Sony’s 13-inch VAIO Z series has been missing from the company’s online store for months, but in Europe, at least, it lives on — a quartet of Z21 series laptops have surfaced on various e-tailers as the possible successor to last year’s Z11. So far, we’re seeing a pair of configurations with a Core i5-2410M processor and 128GB of solid-state storage and two more with a Core i7-2620M CPU and 256GB in storage. Judging by this sample, at least, 1600 x 900 resolution is standard, as is a backlit keyboard, 3G SIM card slot, fingerprint reader, 3D output, and an HD webcam with Sony’s Exmor imaging technology. Alas, the available specs suggest Thunderbolt’s a no-show, though rumor has it Sony’s implementation of Intel’s Light Peak technology will use USB connectors, of which this has three. Here’s to wishful thinking, right?

The peculiar thing is, you can’t actually buy it yet. F2F lists staggering prices ranging from €1,809 ($2,642) to €2,839 ($4,146), though it’s not, in fact, available. Meanwhile, search results turn up mentions on staticICE UK and Belgium’s Execute, but they’ve been scrubbed from the actual pages. So, it looks like it’s up to Sony to announce this already — and dish up some pictures while it’s at it.

[Thanks, Ihor]

Sony VAIO Z21 Series mentioned on various European sites, isn’t actually for sale yet originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re a few days out from E3, that magical place where dreams are made and fanboys and girls from all walks of life are simultaneously appeased and slightly disappointed. Surprises are expected from all of the big three this year — particularly Nintendo. How will the gaming giant top last year’s 3DS debut? All signs point to the announcement of a Wii followup, which we’ve heard alternately referred to as the “Wii HD” and “Project Cafe.” Rumors, leaks, and the occasional bit of confirmed information have been rampant in the months and weeks leading up to the event. We’ve weaved it all together into one handy guidebook, to make sure that we’re all on the same page, come Tuesday morning.

Let’s start with a genuine bit of information: back in April, the company’s CEO, Satoru Iwata, confirmed that Nintendo is, in fact, working on an HD followup to the Wii that is most likely due out in 2012. A few days prior to that revelation, the requisite blurry images of console concepts surfaced, detailing controllers with embedded touchscreens that display the system’s 1080p gameplay via a technology called Stream Screen. These certainly weren’t the first concepts of the console we’ve seen — and they were apparently first brought to light by the folks at 4Chan.

Continue reading Nintendo Wii HD / Project Cafe rumor roundup: What will E3 hold for the gaming giant?

Nintendo Wii HD / Project Cafe rumor roundup: What will E3 hold for the gaming giant? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GameDynamo, The Escapist, Joystiq, AfterDawn, Kotaku  |  GI, CVG, IGN (1), (2), Andriasang  | Email this | Comments

We didn’t know it was possible, but Mr. Blurrycam just got out-Blurrycam’d. After getting some quality hands-on time with the FCC this week, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide had a brief photo shoot showing off a few of its assets. The images, provided by one of BGR’s sources, give us a brief look at the device’s keyboard and some of its software specs. The myTouch 4G Slide appears to be running Android 2.3.4 — the same version of Gingerbread found on the Nexus S — and the latest iteration of HTC Sense UI. This source also confirmed an 8 megapixel camera and teased that the phone runs “as smoothly as the HTC Sensation” and the screen “isn’t much to write home about.” We hear that the myTouch 4G Slide is penciled in for the first half of July, and looks to be a mighty fine QWERTY-slide option within T-Mobile’s Android stable. Or, as good as one can look given the circumstances.

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide gets pictured with Gingerbread, may debut next month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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