Hasta La Gadget!

So this is how it was supposed to go: Best Buy would start selling the Nexus S in the States on December 16th, and Carphone Warehouse would follow on a few days later — the 20th, to be exact — in the UK. Looks like the British are going rogue here, though, because Samsung’s Gingerbread-packed slate is showing “in stock” on Carphone Warehouse’s site right this very moment, which should theoretically mean it ships the same day if you order it before 5PM local time. Let us know if you get it in your paws before the 20th, alright?

[Thanks, Daniel K.]

Nexus S in stock on Carphone Warehouse’s site a little early originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our British mates aboard the VOD ship may look a little cheerier today as The Guardian reports both ITV and Channel 4 — two of the nation’s foremost commercial channels — are bringing their video catchup services to the PlayStation 3. The ITV Player and 4OD have been available as web-based services for a while, but they’ve both now agreed deals with Sony, who projects their overall traffic will improve by around 10 percent as a result. ITV’s leaving the door wide open for adding its content to “other consoles,” web-connected TVs, and tablets like the iPad, whereas Channel 4 has found Microsoft unforthcoming about Xbox 360 deals and the Wii inhospitable because it doesn’t support advertising. For its part, Sony’s clearly making a big content push, having recently welcomed Lovefilm into the fold and completed the rollout of its Qriocity on-demand facility across Europe. Does anyone even play games on these things anymore?

PS3 to start streaming ITV and Channel 4 content in the UK this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spend an embarrassing amount of your life immersed in the Xbox Live universe? It’s cool — we all do. But now, you’ll actually have a better reason to ignore whoever’s yelling at you to disconnect. Microsoft has just launched its Xbox Live Rewards loyalty program after testing it out last year, but for now it’s only available to US and UK-based gamers. As our compadres over at Joystiq mention, it’s a lot like Club Nintendo, but instead of getting gear, you’ll be awarded Microsoft Points for doing things you’d already be doing anyway. Gamers can look for a ten point boost for renewing a one-month membership, a 400 point increase for buying / renewing a family plan or 100 points for activating Netflix — and that’s just the start. Hit the source link to join up. It’s free, you know.

Xbox Live Rewards loyalty program goes live in the US and UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want an iPad but can’t countenance the associated outlay of cash up front? Orange is making that pill easier to swallow today with the revelation of its contract-tied pricing for Apple’s tablet in the UK. Pre-orders are about to start today for obtaining the 3G-connected iPad at prices of £199 ($312) for the 16GB version, £249 ($391) for its 32GB sibling, or £349 ($626) for the one equipped with 64GB of storage. This is all subject to you signing up for a two-year plan costing £27 ($42) a month that’ll give you 1GB of anytime data, 1GB of off-peak data (judged by Orange to be between midnight and 4pm), and 3GB of BT Openzone WiFi access for each twelfth of the year. The expectation is that Orange’s new best bud, T-Mobile, will be offering similar pricing shortly, leaving us to wonder what Vodafone and O2 might be cooking up. The day of the subsidized tablet might be with us sooner than we thought.

[Thanks, Jon]

P.S. – We’ve just spotted that Three, the UK’s 3G-only network, is also planning to sell the iPad “in the coming months.” Pricing and data allowances, however, have yet to be revealed.

Orange UK prices 3G iPad at £199 on two-year contract, taking pre-orders today originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange has just dropped a rather enigmatic note in our inbox letting us know that it plans to offer Apple’s 3G iPad on “one of [its] great new plans” in the UK, resulting in what the company promises will be “more affordable prices.” Current rumors making the rounds place that expenditure at the £200 ($320) mark, should you be willing to commit to a two-year data plan to go with your 10-inch tablet. It’s also expected that Orange’s new dance partner, T-Mobile, will be making a similar announcement soon, complete with a matching price. We’ll keep digging until we know for sure. Full PR after the break.

Update: Sure enough, T-Mobile is now also listing the iPad as “coming soon.” Thanks, Dilwar!

Continue reading Orange and T-Mobile set to offer 3G iPad on contract in UK, £200 price rumored

Orange and T-Mobile set to offer 3G iPad on contract in UK, £200 price rumored originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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