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Nokia E7 starts shipping to 'select markets'
"Better late than never" has been Nokia's rallying cry when it comes to releasing high-end devices, but we can't begrudge the delay we've experienced with the E7, this phone was gorgeous back in September and it's still a beauty today. The QWERTY-equipped sibling to the N8 brings a 4-inch Clear Black Display -- whose name is no exaggeration, it's as sharp and vibrant as any AMOLED screen we've seen so far -- together with the latest version of Symbian, an 8 megapixel camera round the back, 16GB of onboard memory, and a finely crafted aluminum body. The slideout keyboard on this device is easily among the best we've ever handled, although the same can't be said about the mechanism for opening it up. Nokia hasn't been specific about the markets the E7 will be arriving in over the coming days, but the UK seems a lock and distribution should expand rapidly from there. Jump past the break for Nokia's press release and a sweet little video promo. %Gallery-115811%
Nokia E7 first hands-on
Wow. That's the feeling that hits when you pick up the Nokia E7 for the first time. That 4-inch "Clear Black" display really pops as you'd expect from AMOLED and the full QWERTY slider is packed into an incredibly svelte and attractive form factor. Impressions coming up shortly. Until then, check out the E7 next to its N8 cousin and iPhone 4 foe. Update: Follow the break for some quick thoughts on this bad boy. %Gallery-102120%%Gallery-102151%
Save the Sixaxis: New MGS4 'Welcome Box' bundles announced for Japan
Not one to sit back and let the Sixaxis suffer into extinction, Sony Japan will carefully package the feathery gamepad into a trifecta of new Metal Gear Solid 4 bundles. Dubbed the "Welcome Box," the new limited edition bundle will be offered in three standard flavors (Clear Black, Ceramic White and Satin Silver) and will include a 40GB console, rumblin' DualShock 3 and copy of MGS4 -- oh, and yes, one's very own Sixaxis. The Welcome Box (shouldn't it be "Goodriddance Box?") will be made available in concurrence with the worldwide release of MGS4 on June 12 for a reasonable ¥49,800 (roughly $470). Comparatively, the "Hagane" Grey MGS4 bundle will retail for ¥51,800; and so essentially, Sony's offering a savings of ¥2,000 (about $20) to folks who adopt a Sixaxis. Too bad no Welcome Box's been announced for North America. We'd so love to join the cause: Save the Sixaxis! %Gallery-21973%
Cheaper PS3 loses HDMI, slots, Wi-Fi, 40GB
As you can see above, there are a few things different between the two PS3 SKUs planned. (Hint: the obvious alterations concern high-def output and wireless connectivity -- though Bluetooth controllers should work just fine with both, with or without any chrome case highlighting.)So what's HDMI, built-in multimedia card-reader slots, wireless internet connectivity, and an extra 40 gigabytes' hard disk space worth to you? $100? Now that Sony's gone with the 2-SKU approach with its next-gen hardware (a la the Xbox 360's premium and "Core" systems), we can expect some tough consumer choices after six months -- with console shortages possibly for another six months after that -- as $100 separates the base $499 and premium $599 versions of Sony's "Clear Black" hope.HDMI is important to those who want to take full advantage of Blu-ray high def and have the new screens to use it; MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots would be nice for the PS3 memory-card users and those will run multimedia on the system; Wi-Fi's the only way to avoid stringing ethernet cables for online access; and 360 owners might appreciate the full 60GB available to potential buyers of the premium PS3 model. Neither model comes with a second HDMI port; thankfully, one should hopefully be all most users need. The details are laid out in a feature-comparison table at the end of Sony's official PS3 hardware press release, available in both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word formats. Determine what's most important to your PS3 ambitions there.[Image pieced together from the PlayStation.com forums; thanks, Guru]
