Shogun Bros. updates Chameleon X-1 mouse / gamepad, tosses it up for pre-order

Perfection is an undeniably lofty goal, but that’s exactly what Shogun Bros. is striving for, with a freshly announced update to its Chameleon X-1 gaming mouse. Available in three different colors, the company’s “Perfect Version” of its gamepad / mouse boasts an enhanced rubberized coating for better grip, a new layout for remote control operation and, perhaps best of all, extended battery life. Other than that, it’s essentially the same device we saw way back in December, with a 5-stage adjustable 1600dpi optical sensor, a full slate of 16 buttons and force feedback support. Shogun Bros. won’t be releasing this perfected peripheral until October 1st, but you can pre-order one now at Amazon, for $60. Hit up the source link to make the purchase, or slice past the break for a very succinct press release.

Continue reading Shogun Bros. updates Chameleon X-1 mouse / gamepad, tosses it up for pre-order

Shogun Bros. updates Chameleon X-1 mouse / gamepad, tosses it up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG unveils Optimus Q2 QWERTY slider, slated for Korean launch next week

LG’s fleet of Optimus handsets got slightly larger yesterday, with the announcement of the Optimus Q2 — a follow-up to that LU2300 QWERTY slider we saw last year. Powered by a 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, this forthcoming device runs on Android 2.3, boasts a spacious, four-inch, IPS-based LCD with 700 nits of brightness and features a five-megapixel rear camera, along with a VGA front-facing shooter. The Korean manufacturer added that the Q2 will be about a tenth of an inch thinner and 0.35 ounces lighter than its 3.5-inch predecessor, and that it will ship with a wider keyboard. LG is expected to launch the handset in South Korea next week, though pricing and plans for a wider release remain a mystery. Head past the break for the full, translated PR.

Continue reading LG unveils Optimus Q2 QWERTY slider, slated for Korean launch next week

LG unveils Optimus Q2 QWERTY slider, slated for Korean launch next week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista, The Korea Herald  |   | Email this | Comments

Gogo to bring enhanced WiFi to Virgin America, expands video streaming on American Airlines

Virgin America‘s in-flight perks are getting even perkier. This week, the domestic carrier announced that it’s bringing Gogo’s ATG-4 service aboard its fleet of aircraft, in a move that promises to enhance in-flight WiFi capacity by a factor of four. The upgrade is slated to roll out during the first half of 2012, when the company will begin outfitting its planes with Gogo’s directional antenna, dual-modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies. But VA isn’t the only airline getting in on the Gogo game, as the in-flight entertainment company announced this week that it’s expanding its new video streaming service to American Airlines, as well. American, as you may recall, became the first airline to test the Gogo Vision service back in August, aboard its fleet of 15 Boeing 767-200 planes. Now, the streaming product is slated to expand to a full 400 of AA’s aircraft, bringing about 200 movies and TV shows to entertainment-starved passengers. Movies will be available for 24 hour rentals, with TV purchases good for a full 72 hours. Unexpired rentals, meanwhile, will still be available once you land and can be accessed with the same browser and device you used aboard the flight. No word on final pricing, though Gogo is extending its introductory offer ($1 per TV show and $4 per movie) through October 15th. Taxi past the break for more details, in a pair of press releases.

Continue reading Gogo to bring enhanced WiFi to Virgin America, expands video streaming on American Airlines

Gogo to bring enhanced WiFi to Virgin America, expands video streaming on American Airlines originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin releases aera 795, 796 flight navigators, private jet not included

The GPS gurus over at Garmin have just launched the aera 796 and 795 — a pair of new navigation devices designed specifically for pilots who don’t enjoy getting lost. As the flagship member of the aera family, the 796 sports a seven-inch, 480 x 800 capacitive touchscreen (capable of displaying maps in either landscape or portrait mode) and features Garmin’s 3D Vision technology, providing users with a behind-the-plane view of the terrain below, including rivers, landing strips or any other obstacles. This knee-mounted co-pilot can also serve as an electronic flight bag, allowing captains to digitally store flight routes and airport diagrams directly on their devices. Plus, if it’s hooked up to a compatible GPS system, the 796 can provide real-time traffic updates, while streaming SiriusXM radio straight to the cockpit (the North America-specific 795 features identical specs, minus XM compatibility). Aviation enthusiasts can buy the 796 and 795 for the respective prices of $2,500 and $2,200, at the source link below. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Garmin releases aera 795, 796 flight navigators, private jet not included

Garmin releases aera 795, 796 flight navigators, private jet not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGarmin (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Netflix admits it will end up with fewer subscribers than predicted, shrinks DVD-only count

Back in July, after announcing it would decouple unlimited movie streaming from unlimited DVD rentals and charge more to keep both, Netflix predicted it would end up with 25 million subscribers at the end of Q3. This morning it advised investors that prediction has been slashed by 1 million, however most of that shortfall is predicted to come from fewer DVD-only customers than expected, which is expected to come up 800,000 short. While we’ll still have to wait for the actual Q3 results to see how things pan out, the company still claims its projection of 12 million subscribers to both services is right on. While it backtracked on the total numbers, it also outlined its reasoning for raising prices by improving the DVD business, raising more cash to spend on streaming licensing and ultimately “remain price aggressive” and keep its individual offerings at $7.99 each. Much of the kicking and screaming online indicted Netflix’s streaming library for failing to live up to the new price, anyone surprised many cutters seem to be coming from the DVD-only side?

Netflix admits it will end up with fewer subscribers than predicted, shrinks DVD-only count originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video)

Google’s DOJ-approved acquisition of ITA has finally borne fruit, in the form of Flight Search — a new tool that aims to streamline the chaos that is online travel booking. The Mountain View contingent unveiled the interface yesterday, with an “early look” at what appears to be a fairly straightforward service. Once you enter your starting point, destination, price range and duration, a list of results will appear in ascending order of fare and duration, below a map displaying each flight’s trajectory. From there, you can filter your results by airline, number of layovers or specific departure times, before booking your itinerary on the carrier’s site (Google was careful to point out that flight selection and results will not be “influenced by any paid relationships”). At the moment, the service is restricted to a select group of US cities and only features round-trip economy class flights, but Google says future updates and expansions are on the way. We’re eager to see how the company dresses up this relatively bare bones platform and, perhaps more importantly, how competing travel sites react to it. Kayak, for one, responded with confident nonchalance to Flight Search, explicitly describing it as an inferior product. “We’re confident in our ability to compete, and we believe our flight search technology is superior,” the company said, in a statement. “We recognize Google is a formidable competitor but they haven’t been successful in every vertical they’ve entered.” Let the games begin. Demo video after the break.

Continue reading Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video)

Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Search Engine Land, TechCrunch  |  sourceGoogle Flight Search, Google Search Blog  | Email this | Comments

Google outbid itself by 33 percent in Motorola Mobility acquisition, SEC filing reveals

Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility is already starting to lose that new car smell, but a fresh batch of financial details has now emerged, providing deeper insight into how the deal actually went down. According to an SEC filing that Motorola Mobility released yesterday, Google made an initial offer of $30 per share on August 1st, but soon raised that bid to $37 per share on August 9th, after Moto and its advisers asked for $43.50. On that same day, Google again raised its offer to $40 per share, even though Motorola wasn’t accepting bids from other firms, for fear that a public auction would jeopardize its sale. This 33 percent increase ultimately added some $3 billion to the pot, bringing the final price tag to $12.5 billion. A Mountain View spokeswoman declined to comment on the negotiations, though its aggressive bidding suggests that the search giant desperately wanted the deal to go through. The documents also reveal that patent-related issues were at the forefront of discussions from the very beginning, when Google’s Senior Vice President Andy Rubin met with Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha to talk about their mutual concerns, way back in July. According to the Wall Street Journal, these talks eventually convinced Jha that his company would be better off under Google’s stewardship, amid fears that Moto could get swallowed by the stormy seas of patent litigation — anxieties that the exec made all too apparent just four days before the merger was announced. You can dig through the full SEC filing at the source link below.

Google outbid itself by 33 percent in Motorola Mobility acquisition, SEC filing reveals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal  |  sourceSEC  | Email this | Comments

Logitech unveils Wireless Headset, Boombox for tablets, smartphones and Radio Raheem

Logitech‘s family of iDevice-friendly accessories got a little larger today, with the addition of the new Wireless Headset and Wireless Boombox. The former (pictured above) allows users to roam up to 33 feet away from their iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Bluetooth devices, features a noise-canceling microphone and offers up to six hours of battery life. The boombox, meanwhile, seems to share much of its DNA with that S715i portable audio dock we got our hands on last year. Aside from its similar design (image after the break), Logitech’s Bluetooth-enabled system also features eight custom designed drivers (including, like its cousin, a pair of neodymium 3-inchers), boasts a rechargeable battery with six hours of endurance and can function at up to 33 feet away from any iDevice. The headset will be available sometime this month for $70, with the boombox hitting the market in October for $180. For more details, check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Logitech unveils Wireless Headset, Boombox for tablets, smartphones and Radio Raheem

Logitech unveils Wireless Headset, Boombox for tablets, smartphones and Radio Raheem originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLogitech (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Fusion Garage hacks $200 off of Grid 10 tablet, aims to play the undercutting game

Looks like we’re all indebted to HP in one way or another. Since the TouchPad fire sale began, we’ve seen a noticeable southward shift in tablet pricing — it’s as if iPad rivals finally figured out that battling on price was just about the only way to make a dent in Apple’s enviable market share. Now, we’re seeing Fusion Garage wipe a full $200 from its Grid 10 tabletbefore the thing even ships. If you’ll recall, the outfit was aiming for a September 15th release date here in the States, with initial pricing for its 16GB model set for $499 (WiFi-only) / $599 (WiFi + 3G). Out of the blue, those pre-order rates have plummeted to $299 / $399 this morning, giving prospective Grid OS adopters entirely more motivation to buy in. It seems that Amazon hasn’t received the memo quite yet, so those hoping to get in the low-cost line should scurry down to the source link. Naturally, we’ll be bringing you a full-on review as soon as we procure one, and we’re guessing that just became a lot more relevant to your interests.

Update: A Fusion Garage spokesperson told Engadget that the company had planned to launch with the lower price all along, but negotiations with an ODM made it impossible to announce the price earlier. The company also added that the Grid 10 will experience a slight shipping delay, being pushed back to October 1st due to a “new criteria in [the] Adobe Flash Player (FP) 10.3 approval process.”

[Thanks, Jeff]

Fusion Garage hacks $200 off of Grid 10 tablet, aims to play the undercutting game originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo on price reduction: no glasses required to see 3DS sales boost

The Big N has today confirmed our suspicions: people buy more things when they’re cheaper, and in turn, the laws of economics are still sound. The longer version is after the break.

Continue reading Nintendo on price reduction: no glasses required to see 3DS sales boost

Nintendo on price reduction: no glasses required to see 3DS sales boost originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceNintendo  | Email this | Comments