Info about the Iconia W3 Windows 8 tablet has already slipped out a few times, and now this 8.1-incher is live on Acer's Finnish website. While there's no mention of price or availability, the specifications list matches what's already been leaked. You're looking at Windows 8 Pro running atop an Intel Atom Z2760 CPU, aided by 2GB of RAM. Other features include a 1,280 x 768 touchscreen, an eight-hour battery, up to 64GB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. Port lovers will be pleased to find micro-HDMI and micro-USB hookups onboard, as well as a microSD slot. Microsoft Word comes pre-installed, but there's no concrete info about the optional full-size keyboard dock -- other than that it exists, anyway. It'll likely be closer to June when we'll be staring at it in the flesh, so you'll have to settle for the info at the source link for now.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Acer

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Via: Phone Arena, SlashGear

Source: Acer

Virtual football enthusiasts excited for Madden 25 (it's technically Madden 2014) may want to head over to Amazon if they're serious about watching actual NFL games. The online retailer has an exclusive 25th Anniversary Edition of the game up for pre-order, which comes bundled with a 17-week pass for both Madden Ultimate Team cards and NFL Sunday Ticket for computer and mobile. On top of getting all the 2013 regular season's out-of-market matches, DirecTV subscribers can snag a $10-a-month discount on the TV version (normally $225) for one year with a pro bono MAX upgrade. Joystiq notes that only 100,000 copies are up for grabs, split evenly between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. All it takes to get in on the action starting August 27th is $100 -- $40 more than the standard edition, which can net you up to $400 in total savings on the services. Hit up the source link if you're ready to secure your copy.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

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Via: Joystiq

Source: Amazon

Live Pre-recorded from a coffee shop near Google I/O, it's episode 344 of the Engadget Podcast. Tim and Brian may not drink coffee, but rest assured the bustling surroundings (hint: loud cars) kept this show's energy high -- that and apple cider. Get excited for some commentary on everything from Glass to redesigned Maps and get to streaming below.

Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater

Producers: Joe Pollicino, Benjamin Harrison

Hear the podcast:

Filed under: Podcasts

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Look out, MadCatz -- Razer's ready to add an Xbox 360 arcade stick to its peripheral lineup. The $200 Atrox should please serious button mashers, thanks to Sanwa-sourced controls and completely customizable parts. A total of 10 buttons sit alongside the joystick, and you'll find storage compartments for an additional stick and the bundled 13-foot detachable USB cable under the lid. Fighting game enthusiasts can pre-order the Atrox beginning on May 21st from Razer's online store, with global availability set for June -- Japan's lucky shores will see it this month. There's no word on variations for other systems, but that may be the price to pay for the integrated Xbox Live headset jack. Catch a render of its internals and a press release after the break.

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Razer

The ever-changing web portal that is Yahoo under Marissa Mayer will receive its next tweak with help from Twitter. In addition to providing summarized stories, Yahoo newsfeed will soon include occasional tweets based on your interests. Folks in the US can expect to see the change in the coming days across desktop and mobile versions of Yahoo -- just try to keep your excitement contained to 140 characters.

Filed under: Misc, Internet

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Source: Yahoo

Phew. Day one of Google I/O is far from over, but there's already been an onslaught of news. While our editors are running around the floor, why not catch up on any bits of the opening keynote you may have missed? There's now a Galaxy S 4 with vanilla Android Jelly Bean for $649, a $9.99 per-month music subscription service and a host of updates for Google+, Play, Maps and others. Join us past the break where we've got it all neatly categorized for your viewing pleasure.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Google

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Bang & Olufsen has been known to occasionally lower the price floor on its line of A/V gear. Continuing in that direction, the company just unveiled its Beolab 14 surround sound speakers, an entry-level offering starting at $3,995 for a 4.1 setup. The rig centers around a petite cylindrical tower that houses a 280-watt amp for its eight-inch down-firing bass driver and connections for up to five individually powered (140 watts) and equalized 2.5-inch satellite speakers. The circular drivers can be wall-mounted or set on stands, and those aluminum enclosures act as heat sinks (in addition to looking dapper). While B&0 anticipates that the soundbars on its existing TVs will act as a center channel, a 5.1 setup will be available for $4,395 if you need an independent middle speaker instead. The Beolab 14 will come in black or white when it launches in June and additional grille clothes will be an extra $99 per set, should you want to change the colors. You can find more details in the press release after the break while you start saving up.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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This may be a slower part of the year for HD news, but we still managed to round up an hour's worth of goodies. It's an onslaught of mostly minor happenings from all the usual major players, along with your two favorite hosts. Stream it below or catch a download after the break.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Joe Pollicino (@akaTRENT)

Hear the podcast

Filed under: Podcasts, HD

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Remember that break-apart DualShock 3 idea for motion control Sony had five years ago? A new company named Mad Genius Controllers has surfaced with a working prototype that shows such a contraption working in spades. The setup uses a splittable controller and a processing unit to enable seamless motion control and spacial tracking on any title and system. Because Mad Genius doesn't use any accelerometers or cameras like the current consoles, its creator notes that accuracy of up to 1/100th of an inch is possible.

In a video demo with an Xbox 360 version of Skyrim and a modified Xbox gamepad, certain gestures and movements even automate menu selections like a macro. One instance shows the controller being split and held like bow and arrow, highlighting that both sides are tracked in relation to each other -- not to mention that the in-game character's weapon automatically changes without any menu-digging by the user. The current version is merely a wired proof-of-concept, but Mad Genius plans to eventually make it wireless and hit Kickstarter for funding. In the meantime, you can build up anticipation for yourself by checking out the nearly 10-minute long video demo after the break. All that's left is the inevitable Oculus Rift tie-in (like we've just done with this post).

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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Source: Mad Genius Controllers (YouTube)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: FCC

It was just last month that Bang & Olufsen unveiled the H3 and H6 headphones under its cheaper-to-enter B&0 Play brand for the EU. Today, B&O introduced these two dapper additions stateside, announcing them at its SoHo NY shop. If you'll recall, the aluminum-clad H3 in-ears pack 10.3mm drivers aided by mini bass ports, while the H6 over-ears feature 40mm drivers and a healthy heaping of leather-wrapped memory foam padding. Both have an iOS-friendly inline remote and straight 3.5mm-capped cabling. We spent some time with the H6 and we're surprised at how light it is -- which also made for an extremely comfortable first impression when it was placed around this editor's ears. The sound from the H6's drivers is crispy and light with a fairly flat voicing that's free of any noticeable sibilance. A 3.5mm input resides on each of its earcups, which allows for daisy-chaining so you can listen with a buddy. We're told the H3 intra-aurals should sound similar (we couldn't get a clean pair to jam in our ears).

Gallery: B&O Play H3 and H6 headphones (eyes-on)

Expect to pay $250 for the H3 and $400 for the H6 come July, which is a bit pricier than the likes of B&W's P3 and P5 headphones. We'll have to get back to you about whether the prices match the products, but grab a look in the gallery for now.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Wearables

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Although Bose has been using Bluetooth in its Aviation headsets, SoundLink portable speakers and earpieces for cellphones, wireless headphones have been lacking from the company's roster. That's changing today, with the company email-blasting US customers about its just-released AE2w Bluetooth headphones. Think of these as a pair of AE2 (roughly $150) over-ear cans with an A2DP-enabled Bluetooth dongle tacked on. This protrusion (which is removeable) provides access to a multi-function button, volume controls, power switch and micro-USB port for charging. Battery life is seven hours, with 200-hours of standby, which is about the norm for this type of kit. The Bluetooth unit enables actively-equalized audio, but can be swapped for a 3.5mm cable (included) -- this is ideal for long trips away from power. If you're interested, the AE2w are available in the US directly from Bose today for $250 -- pinning it as a competitor to cans like the apt-X-enabled Klipsch Image One Bluetooth. Our EU-based readers will also be pleased to know that sites like Tom's Hardware Guide (Italian) have them pegged to arrive May 14th for 250 euros.

[Thanks, Motty]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Wearables

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Source: Bose

With the third X-51A WaveRider failing to reach hypersonic speed due to a fin failure last August, it seemed the United States Air Force would possibly forgo the fourth (and final) run. On the morning of May 1st, however, that last X-51A got its chance to soar, successfully reaching Mach 5.1 during a record 370-second flight. According to the Wright Patterson Air Force base, the aircraft's rocket booster helped it hit Mach 4.8 about 26 seconds after being released from a B-2H at 50K feet, at which point its air-fed scramjet brought it to 60,000 feet while achieving hypersonic flight. The USAF notes that "it was the longest of the four X-51A test flights [230 nautical miles] and the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight" -- surely taking some of the sting out of the $300 million program's previous shortcomings. Past flights aimed to hit Mach six, with the first and second tests only sustaining Mach five.

The aircraft made destructive splashdown landing into the Pacific as planned, but data from the whole flight was recorded. The USAF isn't planning a follow-up to the X-51A anytime soon, though the program will likely serve as a reference for future designs. You can dig into the official rundown at the link below.

Filed under: Misc, Transportation

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Via: Slashdot

Source: USAF

Now that the PS2's started taking steps toward retirement with Sony ceasing its production in Japan, it seems GameStop doesn't plan to keep the console under its roof for much longer. According to a leaked in-store display posted to Reddit by eGORapTure, the gaming retailer will no longer accept the 12-year-old system for trade-ins as, effective June 1st. Our friends at Joystiq contacted multiple stores to confirm the news and many said the policy is indeed set to go into effect. Unsurprisingly, PS2-related accessories and titles will also be refused for trade-ins once the date rolls around. We've reached out to GameStop's corporate representatives for comment and will let you know what we hear back. For now, you can find more info at the via and source links. Well, they gotta make room for those PS4 boxes -- however they end up looking, right?

Update: We confirmed with GameStop corporate that the June 1st date is correct. More information is available here.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

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Via: Joystiq, Destructoid

Source: Reddit

As if bringing the Nook HD and HD+ access to Google Play this week wasn't already a sweet deal, Barnes & Noble is temporarily slashing the prices for its two reading-focused tablets. The reductions will last until the end of Mother's Day, putting the 7-inch Nook HD 8GB at $149 and the 16GB at $179 (a $50 discount), with the 9-inch HD+ set at $179 for 16GB and $209 for 32GB (with $90 off). Compared to other options like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 tablets, the deal may be enough to make up for lack of cameras and UI shortcomings on the Nooks. If your interest is piqued, you check out our reviews of both the HD and HD+, and hit up the source link if you'd like to snag one.

Update: We'd also like to remind our UK readers that a similar limited-time offer was put in place a few days ago, dropping the price of the Nook HD from £159 to £129 and the Nook HD+ from £229 to £179.

Filed under: Tablets

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Source: Barnes & Noble

If you've been torn between Samsung's NX300 and NX1000 mirrorless cameras, you should know the company has officially split the difference with its new NX2000. While it likely won't sway NEX-3N lovers away from Sony, the $650 NX2000 is only a Benjamin more than Sammy's lower-end NX1000 and packs the same 3D-capable DRIMe IV processor and NFC functionality as the pricier NX300. Of course, you still get the 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor seen across the line. The differentiating factor from its siblings is the Galaxy Camera-like 3.7-inch, 1,152k-dot touchscreen (fixed) on the back, rather than the usual assortment of rear buttons. The 100 to 25,600 ISO range and maximum JPG burst rate of 8 fps is just like the 300's, though this is only capable of recording 1080p video at 60 fps. Unfortunately, the autofocus is only contrast-detection, but Samsung claims that it's one of the fastest to the draw.

As you'd expect, this shooter features WiFi (single band) for connecting through AllShare or the Smart Camera app, plus there's a microSD slot for transferring files physically. Sure, it's not the most exciting update to Samsung's camera line, but it's clearly a big leap up from the NX1000 -- on paper, anyway. The NX2000 will be available soon in your choice of white, black or pink, and it comes bundled with Adobe Lightroom 4, a 20-50mm lens and a hotshoe-powered flash. Grab more looks in the gallery below and hit the press release after the break for all the technical details.

Gallery: Samsung NX2000 (press images)

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cameras

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Last year's revision to Facebook for Windows Phone may have gotten fans closer to the Facebook grail, but it was still lagging behind its iOS and Android siblings. Microsoft is finally catching up though, with the latest beta of the app. This build supports the new Facebook Timeline, higher-quality photos and post sharing. It's currently listed as being compatible with Windows Phone 8 -- which might leave some 7.5 and 7.8 users feeling a bit salty. You'll have to download it straight from the link below if you're up for giving it a whirl, since it can't be directly from your device.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Microsoft, Facebook

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Source: Microsoft

As advanced as multitasking gets on smartphones, many times you're still left to completely switch between apps. Paranoid Android is looking to set things into overdrive with in-app, multiple-window multitasking for its skin of Android, going beyond the similar (but limited) functionality seen in the likes of Samsung's basked-in Galaxy apps. PA's Paul Henschel recently posted a demo to YouTube highlighting the feature working with various apps on both an Android tablet and a Nexus smartphone, with a post to Google+ saying it shows less than 10 percent of the planned functionality. If that weren't enough, the post further clarifies PA's drive to build out its version stating: "We think these [Samsung, Cyanogen & Cornerstone] implementations suck and we want to get it right this time." Thirsty for more info? Hit the source link and the video after the break, while we eagerly wait further updates.

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Via: liliputing, Reddit

Source: Paranoid Android (Google+)

Remember how Google Fiber's recent announcement for planned service in Austin by 2014 spurred immediate competition from AT&T? It's safe to say telcos in other areas have taken note about the gigabit speeds, not to mention the $70 montly pricing. According to the Wall Street Journal, Vermont Telephone Company is now offering gigabit service to some of its customers for the crazy-low price of 35 bucks a month. To keep things in perspective, WSJ notes that roughly 600 folks are subscribed (out of VTel's total base of about 17.5K) and that the company is essentially going to be analyzing whether the current pricing will remain for the long-term. With Google Fiber to continuing to expand, it's certainly promising to see how superspeed internet is trickling across the US -- and how easy it's been looking on the wallet.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Wall Street Journal Digits

Source: VTel

LG's F-series handsets may not be in the same class an HTC One or GS4, but we can't help but appreciate the solid specs and LTE-goodness baked into these mid-range devices. Following a debut alongside its F7 sibling at MWC, the F5 will begin trickling out to French retailers on April 29th. While there's no mention of US availability -- despite a recent leak pegging it for Verizon -- we do know LG will soon be pushing it out to parts of Asia and Central / South America. Aimed at markets new to LTE, the smartphone packs a beefy 2,150mAh battery, 5-megapixel camera, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 4.3-inch screen for showing off LG's skinned version of Android 4.1.2. If you're curious to give LTE a go and this looks like a winner, you'll find the full press release after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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While our own Tim Stevens is currently adapting to life with Google Glass, developers are going beyond scratching the surface and actually starting to fiddle with what's inside. Hot on the heels of Jay Freeman rooting Glass, Google's throwing devs a bone by publicly releasing the kernel source. Interestingly, Karthik's Geek Center spotted info within the file that points to Glass potentially being equipped for NFC support. If you're up for tinkering, you'll find the temporary location of the tar.zx file itself at the source link.

Filed under: Misc, Robots, Wearables, Software, Google

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Via: Karthik's Geek Center

Source: Google

If you're an avid reader of the many comic strips on Universal Uclick's GoComics website, you'll be pleased to know the company's recently released its first app for mobile devices. Optimized for tablets and smartphones running Windows Phone, Android and iOS, the company states that the free app serves as the "official home" on mobile for its syndicated comics. Notably, this includes the likes of the full Calvin & Hobbes archives, along with Universal Uclick citing it as the exclusive portal to Dilbert strips on mobile. We won't keep you any longer now that you know, so head over to the appropriate source link if you'd like to download it for yourself.

Filed under: Misc, Software

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Source: Univeral Uclick (App Store), (Google Play), (Windows Store)

Samsung's Galaxy Mega 6.3 still doesn't have an exact launch date, but it has made its way to the FCC. While the Mega was announced with LTE and HSPA+ radios, it appears that this version, model I9200, only has the latter onboard (I9205 is the LTE-equipped variant). It's a safe bet that this particular model won't officially make it stateside, but the reports seem to indicate that it'll play nice with AT&T's HSPA+ bands. In case you're thinking of importing this 1.7GHz device down the line, you can have a look at our hands-on here. Otherwise, you can have a look at the filing by heading to the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: FCC

Sure, Omni-directional treadmills are nothing new, but Virtuix's take is worth a mention now that it's been shown off working in conjunction with the Oculus Rift. The company's been posting videos of its Omni treadmill working with Kinect for months, but last Thursday it upped the ante by adding the Rift. All told, it makes for what looks to be an intense VR session of Team Fortress 2 -- one-upping SixSenses' Razer Hydra demo for the VR headset. The company's been working on this unit as an affordable solution for households, aiming to eventually try for funding via Kickstarter. Catch the video demo after the break and please resist throwing money at the screen in an attempt to get in on the action early.

Filed under: Gaming

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Via: Mashable

Source: Virtuix (YouTube)

Get ready to say goodbye to another another batch of Yahoo products at the end of this month. As the company continues to streamline and focus its services, March 31st will be the last day of stand-alone existence for Upcoming, Yahoo Deals, Yahoo Kids, Yahoo SMS Alerts, Yahoo Mail and Messages for feature phones. In a move designed to whittle down the company's 75 some-odd products to a group of about 15, this latest announcement comes a few weeks after the company nixed other services like its BlackBerry app. Additionally, if you've been hanging onto the old version of Yahoo Mail, you'll have no choice but to switch to the new version by June 3rd. There's no word on what we can expect next, although EVP of Platforms Jay Rossiter says cuts like these are needed so the firm can focus on more experiences like its new Mail and Weather apps. You'll find the details for each cut at the source link.

Update: The total number of offerings being killed this time around is six, not seven as initially reported.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Register

Source: Yahoo