Hasta La Gadget!

The iControlPad hasn’t been flirting with vaporware status for quite as long as Duke Nukem Forever but certainly long enough to make us wonder if we’d ever be able to use it to kick some in-game butt before we ran out of bubblegum. We’ve been tantalized by this formerly iPhone-exclusive adapter since way back in 2008, when it was going to be a simple case with a dock connector that would let you control those emulators with greater ease. It’s grown significantly since then, the latest version shown above — the final version, as it happens. It’s now available for order at a cost of $74.99, and we’re happy to say that ditching that dock connector and going for Bluetooth has expanded support well past the iDevice crowd, including things like the Motorola Blackflip, Blackberry Touch, and the now-classic G1. However, we’re told not all games and emulators will work with the thing, so your mileage may vary. First devices ship next week, so make with the clicking.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iControlPad finally available for order, shipping next week originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew Motorola’s tablet release would make waves upon its release. But with a hefty price tag and data plan strings attached, it may be more of a cannonball.

The Xoom tablet will debut on February 24 at an $800 price, according to a leaked Best Buy ad. And in a small disclaimer line underneath the picture of the tablet, the ad claims that “a minimum of one month data subscription is required” in order to unlock Wi-Fi. If the ad is accurate, that means even if you don’t want to go 3G, you’ll have to buy the 3G service for a month to unlock Wi-Fi access on the tablet.

The ad provides a list of rates for different data plans, with 1GB/month costing $20, 3GB/month at $35, 5GB/month at$50 and 10GB/month at $80. Surprise surprise, there are no unlimited data plans on Verizon’s network. But we’ve been expecting it, as Verizon has been saying for some time that it would eventually do away with its unlimited data package.

As the flagship tablet for Android’s upcoming version 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS update, Motorola’s tablet has received lots of attention from the tech community. Motorola has positioned its tablet offering as a direct challenger to the iPad’s extremely strong 75 percent hold on tablet market share, recently taunting Apple in a Xoom-focused Super Bowl commercial.

The Xoom touts an impressive spec sheet — a 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 10.1-inch HD display screen, 5-megapixel back facing camera with 720p HD video capture and 2-megapixel front facing camera for video chat.

But even with admirable hardware, the company may find it difficult to get the tablet off the ground if customers feel bogged down with a hefty initial price tag and strings-attached data plan options.

Requests for comment from Motorola were not returned as of this article’s publishing.

Photo: Motorola Xoom Tablet/Duncan Geere

[via Engadget]

See Also:

• Motorola Bashes Apple in ‘1984′ Superbowl Ad
• Motorola’s Atrix Smartphone Coming in Early March
• Motorola Previews New Android Tablet, Droid Smartphone
• Report: Motorola Xoom, HTC Thunderbolt Due This Month
• Verizon Memo Leaks Motorola Xoom Pricing: $799

We saw it teased right around 48 hours ago, and now Motorola’s full Xoom Super Bowl ad is out and about for the world to see. It aired just moments ago during Super Bowl XLV, and it’s fairly obvious where it took inspiration. It’s easily one of the best tech spots we’ve seen in quite some while, and as much as Motorola has been hyping its Honeycomb-based superslate, we’d say it better sell quite a few to recoup what it’s already lost in marketing — even at $800 a pop, it’ll still take a boatload. The real question, however, is this: will today’s America even get it? Hop on past the break and mash play if you missed out.

P.S. – Missed our coverage of Super Bowl Media Day? Catch up here!

Continue reading Motorola’s Xoom Super Bowl commercial tips hat to Apple’s ‘1984’ spot (video)

Motorola’s Xoom Super Bowl commercial tips hat to Apple’s ‘1984’ spot (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Someone screwed up at Best Buy this morning, letting slip two big product release dates. Now we may be seeing a new Android-powered tablet and smartphone sooner than we thought.

Onsale dates for Motorola’s new Xoom tablet and HTC’s Thunderbolt smartphone were posted to a Best Buy retailer’s Facebook page early Friday morning. According to the Grand Rapids, Michigan Best Buy store’s status update, we should expect the Xoom to debut on February 23 and the Thunderbolt on February 14.

The status update has been promptly taken down from the page, as the higher ups at Motorola and HTC probably wanted to wait to announce the product debuts at Mobile World Conference, a major mobile industry event occurring in Barcelona, Spain in mid-February.

We can’t say for sure whether or not the release dates will be firm. “The info from the Grand Rapids store was posted in error, as the details included are not yet finalized,” a Best Buy spokesperson told Wired.com. “We will share updated and accurate information when we have it.”

Details on the Xoom have been sparse since the tablet’s announcement at CES in early January. Speculation has filled the void of information — a previously leaked internal Best Buy memo showed a potential $800 price tag for the Xoom, which will run on the upcoming Android update to version 3.0 (Honeycomb). We do know, however, that the tablet touts a 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a 5-megapixel back facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front facing camera for video chat.

Motorola’s upcoming Xoom-promoting Super Bowl ad will also tease the company’s tablet, while simultaneously taking a shot at Apple’s famous 1984 Super Bowl ad, making the Cupertino-based company out to be an Orwellian version of itself:

Photo: Duncan Geere/Wired.co.uk

Best Buy Leaks Xoom Release [via DroidLife]

See Also:

• Verizon Memo Leaks Motorola Xoom Pricing: $799
• Motorola Previews New Android Tablet, Droid Smartphone
• XOOM_Front_Home_CES
• Hands-On With T-Mobile’s 7-Inch Tablet, Due Feb. 2
• Hands-On With HTC’s 4G Thunderbolt Smartphone
• Android Phones Fuel HTC Growth; More Planned for 2011
• HTC

We’re already fatigued of reporting launch dates for devices announced at this year’s CES — it seems like each one has had at least four different potential release points — but when you get one of Best Buy’s official Facebook pages blabbing about when the Moto Xoom and HTC Thunderbolt will be arriving… well, you sum up the strength to do it one more time. Contrary to earlier insider leaks pinning the Xoom to a February 17th launch, Best Buy is now promising to have the vanguard of the Honeycomb tablet revolution on February 24th. That’s exactly a week later than our earlier info, so perhaps somebody somewhere decided to push things back a bit. We have no doubt, however, that Motorola is nearly ready with its slate — there have been plenty of them spotted around the Super Bowl this week. In the meantime, HTC’s LTE-equipped 4.3-incher seems to have finally settled down on Valentine’s Day as its time of reckoning, a day after the similarly sized Inspire 4G hits AT&T.

Motorola Xoom coming to Best Buy on February 24th, HTC Thunderbolt on the 14th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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