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Raspberry Pi Model B gets RAM boost to 512MB, keeps $35 price tag
So you got your Raspberry Pi all set up, you overclocked it and you even made it run Atari 2600 games. But then, it seems, many of you wrote to the UK-based outfit to complain about the fixed 256MB of RAM. Indeed, the budget mini PC maker says that requests for a memory upgrade have been among "the most common suggestions" it's received since it launched the device. However, rather than introduce a pricier version, the company has decided to offer 512MB as standard with all future Model Bs (including all current and outstanding orders), while sticking to the original $35 price tag. Good news? Sure, even if your current unit just got relegated to secondary secondary PC status.
Apple TV (2012) gets torn down, confirmed to have 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage
We already knew about most of the latest Apple TV's technical upgrades, but a few key specs have eluded us since its announcement. That's now changed, however, thanks to user aicjofs over at XBMC's forum, who ripped a fresh unit apart to find out exactly what's inside of its shell. Apart from its documented single-core A5 SoC, it's now confirmed that the 1080p-capable streamer features 512MB of Hynix-branded RAM (up from 256) along with an unchanged 8GB of storage, courtesy of Toshiba. Interestingly, there's no word on whether it's still packing Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR like the 2010 variant (Apple's website only lists 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi), but MacRumors notes that aicjofs has discovered what's possibly an additional WiFi antenna. A few parts are still under investigation, but you can check out the links below for more info.
Sony PS Vita First Edition Bundle up for pre-order, lets North American buyers snag it one week early
The United States may not be getting the PS Vita at first, but that doesn't mean you can't be the first kid on your block to own one. Sony took to its US PlayStation Blog today, unveiling its First Edition bundle of the portable gaming powerhouse, which is up for pre-order now at "select retailers." US buyers will receive a 3G + WiFi Vita with a limited edition case, a 4GB memory card and a copy of Little Deviants for $350, while Canadian buyers will get the WiFi-only variant for $299 -- better yet, it'll arrive at your doorstep one week prior to the 02/22/2012 release date for North America. Sure, it may not have wishful goodies like pro bono AT&T 3G, but if you've just gotta have it, well, them's the breaks, y'all. You'll find more info at the source link below, or at Amazon where we've already spotted it.
PlayStation Vita is coming February 22nd, start saving now
Well folks, the wait is over. Sony has announced that the PlayStation Vita will be hitting shelves February 22nd at retailers in the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe. In addition to all your favorite gaming titles and a pocket filled with 512MB of RAM, you'll be able to chat it up with your fellow assassins cross-game or via Facebook, Foursquare, Skype and Twitter. If that's not enough, the 5-inch OLED display, dual analog sticks, dual cameras, and front and rear touch panel should be enough get you amped for a Call of Duty campaign on the handheld device. Keep in mind: this bad boy will sport 3G from AT&T for $299 or you can snag the WiFi-only model for $249. If you're looking for more details, hit that source link below.
Pantech Breakout to make its LTE debut September 22nd?
With a powerhouse like the Motorola Droid Bionic now lodged firmly on Verizon's 4G lineup, we're not expecting very many folks to be downright impressed by the Pantech Breakout. The latest offering on Big Red's LTE network appears to be ready for its emergence in a week. The folks over at Droid-Life not only got their hands on a full spec sheet of the device, they also have come across the user manual, available for download at the source link. It looks like the Breakout will offer a 4-inch WVGA display, Gingerbread, a 1GHz single-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 1,500mAh battery and a 5MP rear camera paired up with a VGA front-facing video chat cam. No pricing is mentioned, though Pantech has a track record of being a budget manufacturer, so we're thinking this is aimed directly at the lower end of the LTE price spectrum. If all goes this doc's way, we'll be seeing the new device on September 22nd. Who's in?
HTC Omega spotted in the wild on Algerian auction site?
Just a few days after its renders first leaked, the HTC Omega has apparently been spotted in the wild, on an Algerian auction site, of all places. French blog Mon Windows Phone claims that the rumored Mango device may sport a Snapdragon MSM8255 1.5Ghz processor, 512MB of RAM and a 3.8-inch LCD, though it's hard to glean too many specifics from the blurry images featured on the auction site. The blog also spotted an eight megapixel camera around back, along with that front-facing shooter that Microsoft's been touting, while the listing claims that the phone boasts up to 8GB of storage capacity. The white-and-gray Omega is rumored to debut at this week's HTC event in London, though details on price and availability remain unclear (the highest online bid, for what it's worth, is currently at around $540). Hit up the links below to see the full array of images. [Thanks, Gilles]
PS Vita to pack 512MB of RAM, support cross-game voice chat
What's the difference between Sony's PlayStation Vita and the PS3? About 256MB of RAM, apparently. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the forthcoming handheld will boast a full 512MB of RAM (compared to the PS3's 256MB), allowing the Vita to support cross-game voice chat via its Party feature. Yoshida's confirmation effectively debunks earlier rumors that Sony would be halving the Vita's RAM, in order to compete with the 3DS' lower price, though the console does feature comparatively less V-RAM (just 128MB, versus the PS3's 256MB). According to the executive, however, that disparity won't make too much of a difference on the gaming experience, due to changes in the Vita's display resolution. "The resolution on the PS Vita screen is much lower," Yoshida said. "Even though it's four times the resolution of PSP, compared to the console, the amount of data you have to push is much smaller." The proof, of course, is in the pudding, but unfortunately, we probably won't be tasting it for a while.
Sony Ericsson MT15i / Vivaz 2 ensnared by Eldar Murtazin, given glowing preview
The choice of Android Gingerbread handsets just grew by one, courtesy of the Sony Ericsson MT15i and Russia's premier mobile reviewer, Eldar Murtazin, who has put it through his rigorous preview cycle. The typically curmudgeonly gent was pleasantly surprised by SE's latest (and entirely unofficial) handset, claiming that the company "has developed and is about to launch truly cutting edge devices and ... has almost nothing to fear in the hardware department as well." He has praise for the above-average front-facing cam, the endurance offered by the 1500mAh battery, and the 854 x 480 res on the Reality Display -- though he does warn that Sony's Bravia Engine is only used when consuming multimedia and therefore has limited impact on improving output quality. Internally, you're looking at 512MB of RAM and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7630 with Adreno 205 graphics, all of which resulted in perfectly smooth, lag-free operation. In spite of its many pluses, Eldar describes the MT15i as a phone targeting the mid-range, which invites all sorts of delicious pricing speculation, though we're not entirely sure we agree with his postulation that this handset will be called the Vivaz 2. The Xperia branding up front and the replacement of Symbian with Android would collectively suggest it'll bear an altogether new name when it's unveiled -- which we'll go ahead and presume is going to happen at MWC next month.
iPhone 4 to have 512MB of RAM, double the 3GS and iPad?
Apple has traditionally been -- how shall we put it -- cagey with revealing memory and CPU specifics of its mobile devices, but MacRumors is today reporting its discovery that the fourth-gen iPhone's RAM apportionment will be a very healthy 512MB. We've heard similar rumblings from reliable sources of our own. What it means is that iPhone 4 users can look forward to not only the same processor (though potentially at a lower speed) as their iPad compatriots, but also double the memory allowance. Of course, this will hardly be the first handset to offer half a gig for the OS to dance inside, but at least Apple's keeping up with the times. Wouldn't wanna disappoint all those pre-orderers now, would we?
Confirmed: New Xbox 360 Arcade systems have 512 MB on-board memory
The Xbox 360 Arcade pack just got a bit more useful. The mysterious 512MB Arcade unit seen yesterday is real! Microsoft confirmed to Eurogamer that it has doubled the memory on the "Jasper" motherboard of the hard-drive-free system. However, of course, not all of that space will be available to the owner: "The Xbox 360 system software uses some of the included 512MB memory;" Microsoft's statement reads. "Less storage will be available to users."The on-board storage was originally introduced to house the New Xbox Experience upgrade. According to Microsoft, this extra storage doesn't portend any new functionality: "We want to offer consumers a bit more memory at the same low price so they can enjoy more experiences on Xbox LIVE."
Microsoft's New Xbox Experience storage "solution": Free memory cards, discounted hard drives
Microsoft's New Xbox Experience has been pored over and dated, but now that Major Nelson has revealed it requires "at least" 128MB storage available to work, where does that leave suckers Core and Arcade SKU Xbox 360 owners? Enter the Xbox 360 Memory Upgrade Program, doling out free 512MB MU's or $20 20GB HDDs to Core owners, and a $30 20GB HDD + 3 months of Xbox Live package to Arcade owners looking to upgrade. November 19, Xbox Live becomes a storage-only affair (that goes for Netflix streams too, requiring 8MB of free space), so grab your serial number and console ID from the current Xbox 360 Dashboard and hit the registration website. Impressive customer service gesture to extend functionality for all, or more evidence of a short sighted and flawed dual-SKU launch plan that's cost gamers and developers alike? All we know for sure is we've probably figured out where the profits from those $149 120GB HDDs are going.[Via NeoGAF]
Microsoft embiggens memory unit, XBLA game size [update 1]
Core owners rejoice. Microsoft today announced they'll be releasing a beefier, 512MB memory unit for all those hard-drive-less Xbox 360s on April 3 for $49.99. The old, 256MB 64MB unit will simultaneously be reduced from $39.99 to $29.99. The new, bigger unit will also come pre-loaded with XBLA classic Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, proving that old XBLA games don't die, they just become free pack-ins. Speaking of Xbox Live Arcade, what was once an exception is now a rule: Microsoft has officially upped the maximum size for its downloadable games service from 50MB to 150MB. While it's nice to see Microsoft paying attention to its value-priced hardware option, we can't help but feel the premium edition is still the way to go. For the price of two 512MB memory units you can get 20 times the storage in a noisy hard drive, plus extras like a wireless controller. As far as value per gaming dollar is concerned, a little extra cash goes a long way here. [Update: Fixed the size of the current unit. Thanks commenters.]
Bigger 360 Mem Unit resurfaces, forced back down
GameStop has quietly removed the "Microsoft Xbox 360 Memory Card 512 MB" item from its website, after offering up the upgraded Memory Unit for pre-order yesterday. With news that Xbox Live Arcade titles will soon exceed the prior 50MB limit, come expectations for a new Memory Unit model -- an upgrade from 64MB to 256MB was seemingly confirmed last spring.Either GameStop was acting on a whim, or Microsoft now plans to bump the new MU up to 512MB which, according to the retailer's initial listing could be released as early as March 1 andlikely priced at $49.99. Could that date (early March) also be a clue as to when we can expect Symphony of the Night on XBLA? Don't count on it. But the throwback Castlevania is "approaching."
512 MB MU falls off face of the Earth
As soon as it went up, it has gone down. The 512 MB Memory Unit listed on Gamestop for $49.99 with a March 1st ship date has since been removed. Microsoft has stated that there hasn't been any announcements of releasing a larger Memory Unit. Also worth noting is that retailers occasionally jump the gun based on information currently available, take some of their listed release dates for example. Until confirmed, those are just speculation and placeholder dates so pre-orders can be made. In any case, time will only tell whether or not we'll hear anything more about increasing the memory card's capacity. So what do you think will be officially announced first, a larger Memory Unit or Hard Drive? Place your bets.[Via Next Generation]
Napster bumps their free DAP to 512MB
Yeah, we never really bothered to get our hands on the 256MB version, but Napster hasn't messed much with the formula here -- just tossed in a bit more flash memory. All you've gotsa do is sign up for three months of Napster To Go at $15 a month, and Napster will ship you this little 512MB PlaysForSure player for free, complete with screen and, um, buttons. Good times, indeed.
Alienware bumps its m9700 with colors and some mightySLI juice
Sure, SLI laptops are a dime a dozen these days, but Alienware's Aurora m9700 is one of the few 17-inch SLI lappies around, and it just got a severe performance boost in the form of dual nVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics cards with 512MB of memory apiece. In celebration of the new juicy spec, Alienware is throwing down two new colors: Conspiracy Blue and Cyborg Green, for $100 extra. It doesn't look like many other specs have budged, the processors still top out at a 2.4GHz AMD Turion 64 processor, and there are options for MIMO networking and a TV tuner, along with the standard Bluetooth and gigabit Ethernet. Prices start at $1700, and the dual 512MB graphics will bump that price up to $2300. Everything should be shipping by the 11th.[Via laptoping]
Thanko's PIN-protected Morse Code Drive
You may think that those USB thumb drives with biometric protection are keeping your data on adequate lockdown, but with so many Play-Doh-equipped crooks looking to steal your personal information these days, are you really willing to trust your most secure infoswag to a notoriously unreliable fingerprint reader? Our old friends at "innovative" Japanese manufacturer Thanko certainly aren't, as evidenced by their new keypad-sporting model called the Morse Code Drive -- which, despite its name, has nothing to do with the dash-dot-dashing we've seen performed by characters in old war movies. Available in either 512MB or 1GB flavors, this USB 2.0-compatible drive requires the user to input the proper PIN before revealing its precious data on a Mac or Windows machine, although we doubt that a determined hacker would be unable to penetrate its defenses. Still, most consumers will find the $60 and $85 drives acceptable for everyday use, and the fact that they camouflage themselves as a cheap calculator when stored in your pocket protector should only help seal the deal.[Via Fareastgizmos]
Modmen adds flash memory to the DMB tuner
USB DMB adapters are a dime a dozen these days (well, overseas at least), but how many of them can store their own drivers and a few videos to boot? A new model from Modmen can, as it packs in either 512MB or 1GB of storage space along with the digital TV tuner -- perfect for turning any Windows machine into a de facto entertainment center. Koreans can supposedly pick these up right away, though we have no idea what they'll be paying.
Transcend releases T.sonic 530 flash-based DAP
DAP manufacturer Transcend has been know to offer some rather unconventional designs over the years -- see the T.sonic 310 and 620 for reference -- but we'd sure like to know what went on in the focus group that convinced the company to craft their newest player like a sparsely-decorated mint tin. Besides its unusual appearance, though, the T.sonic 530 is almost exactly the same model as the much more traditional-looking 520 we saw earlier this year, sporting 512MB or 1GB of flash memory, tiny OLED display, FM tuner, digital voice recorder, and of course, the on-screen lyrics option that promises to "bring out the pop star in everyone." The 530 is on the market now -- willing and able to assist you in the occasional karoake session -- and although exact pricing isn't known, you'll probably be able to pick up either capacity for under a hundred bucks.[Via MobileWhack]
NTI Comodo's NP-950 DAP with in-dock VoIP and DJ functions
Talk about a convergence device-- not only does NTI Comodo's new NP-950 digital audio player perform the obligatory playback and recording functions, it can even act as a VoIP "handset" or broadcast tunes DJ-style over the Internet when docked in its USB cradle. Being marketed as the "Universal MP3 Player" in conjunction with OpenCast, this model is available in 512MB or 1GB flavors and supports MP3, WMA, ASF, and WAV audio tracks, WMV and AMV video files or JPEG/BMP/GIF photos on its 1.5-inch LCD, as well as English, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese eBooks. We're not really sure exactly who's being targeted with this unit -- whose price and release date are unknown -- since you can't store all that much content on it, and the chat/broadcast features seem more gimmicky than useful.
