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Horn gets a trailer, coming later this month
We already knew that the developers behind the iOS horror game Dark Meadow were working on a new title called Horn, but now here's a trailer to watch. As you can tell, it looks pretty darn good. It's not quite as scary as the first game, though there are a few spooky elements, and the graphics look terrific. The game also looks like it will have a few more story and RPG elements to play with, so it should be fun. The trailer also mentions that we won't have long to wait: Horn is due out this month. That's good news for fans of the first game who are looking to see what Phosphor has been working on. As soon as we see Horn in the App Store, we'll let you know.
Ears-on with Klipsch's latest intra-aural headphone lineup: Image S4 (II) series, X7i
Been fancying a new set of in-ear headphones as of late? If you'll recall, it was last week when Klipsch quietly revealed its new $200 Image X7i and a trio of Image S4 (II) series in-ears. Today, after getting our mitts on the new Image One on-ear models at its NYC event, we were able check out the in-ears for the first time. To refresh your memory, the X7i is the company's first set crafted from ceramic materials, featuring balanced-armature drivers and intended as a step-down option from its $350 X10i. The S4 (II) models, on the other hand, are unsurprisingly refreshes of its tried and true S4 line. So if you're interested in finding out more, join us past the break for our detailed impressions.
Klipsch quietly teases new in-ear headphone lineup: S4 (II) series, X7i set to arrive this month
Leave it to Klipsch to surprise us with new gear for our ears when we least expect it. Within the last day or so, the company quietly pushed a "coming soon" page live on its website chock full of new in-ear headphones. To start, the S4 series is getting a complete refresh across the lineup and taking up the (II) moniker -- namely, the $80 S4 (II), and the $100 S4i (II) and S4a (II), which respectively feature an inline remote / mic for iOS and Android devices. While the trio of intra-aurals look largely similar to their ear-pleasing predecessors, Klipsch has graced them with flat cables to kill the tangled-cord issues we've experienced. Better yet, it's also showcasing the $200 X7i (seen middle), a curvaceous set of balanced armature-loaded ceramic 'bubs, equipped with an iOS-compatible remote / mic. The S7i essentially fills the "mid-range" gap in price from the S4i to the $350 X10i. Detailed specs for all the sets aren't anywhere to be seen currently We'll be sure to get some impressions at Klipsch's NYC event next week, but for now, you can rest assured knowing that you'll have a choice of black or white for everything except the S4a (II) -- and that it's all already up for pre-order at the source link below.
Kinect for Windows version 1.5 to be released in May
Seems like it was only yesterday that Microsoft took the wraps off version 1.0 of Kinect for Windows, putting the power of voice and gesture controls in the hands of the hoi polloi. Now, the gang in Redmond has said that version 1.5 will be coming in May, and will bring 10-joint skeletal tracking to let the sensor bar work while users are seated. The update also includes Kinect Studio, an app that allows devs to record, play and debug clips of users to fine tune their applications. Additionally, it brings language support for French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese, plus there's added support for regional dialects in those languages and English as well. Lastly, Microsoft is promising a whole slew of new countries around the globe will be getting Kinect for Windows in May and June, so to see if your homeland made the cut, check out the source below.
What do Samsung and Phones 4u have to show the UK on March 30th?
We're not saying this could be the date-of-reveal for the Galaxy S III, but we also can't say it's not. What we can surmise, however, is that either Samsung or UK retailer Phones 4u (possibly both) apparently have something to unveil on March 30th. According to Eurodroid, the window pictured above, simply reading "coming 30.03.12" under a Samsung logo, was photographed by one of its readers outside of the Phones 4u located on Oxford St. in London. The site also notes that this same location was the exclusive retailer for the Galaxy Nexus when it launched, making the little meat that's currently here all the more juicy. Whatever Sammy has in store, you'll just have to keep guessing as it remains a mystery for now. Hit up the links below for more photos and speculation, and be sure let us know your best guess in the comments.
EA previews titles from Chillingo and Firemint: New Flight Control, Burnout Crash, more
EA had a large suite set up at GDC last week to show off its various new and recent offerings. Here's a quick roundup of what the company is working on for iOS, including among all of its recent acquisitions: PopCap, Firemint, and Chillingo. PopCap was up first -- the popular casual games developer has just released Zuma's Revenge HD on the App Store, and it's a very faithful port of the old arcade title originally released on PC. There's not much new to say about this one -- if you liked it on PC, you'll like it on Apple's iOS devices. I did ask PopCap's about Bejeweled 3 as well. That game has been out on PC for a while, but we haven't really seen a port of it on iOS just yet. But there was no news to report -- PopCap is taking its sweet time working on new titles, and is instead mostly just concerned with putting its popular catalog on as many titles as possible. We may have to wait a while to see another original title arrive on iOS. Next up was a game that a lot of Flight Control fans will be surprised to hear about: Flight Control Rockets. The space-age follow up to the extremely popular Flight Control title was developed by Firemint, but I'm sorry to say that I found it not quite as elegant as the previous version. The title has gone freemium, and you now earn coins as you play, which can then be spent on all sorts of upgrades for your station and skills (or, of course, purchased via in-app purchase). There are some good new ideas in the game, like a combo score that builds up as you line-draw ships of the same color into your station, and lots of new ship types, including ships that break off into two, ships that speed up after being guided home, and even a "snake ship" that is actually a series of ships that will follow each other wherever you draw the first one. There are also "robot helpers" that you can hire, three maximum for each time you play, that will either make things easier for you (by helping you score higher or guide ships in automatically), or change up the gameplay (there's one called a "hardcore bot" that will turn off all of your warnings, but give you more XP as you play). In addition to the player's XP, you can also level up each of your bots, and unlock extra abilities for each of those as well, and there are also "power crystals" you can buy via IAP to earn XP faster. If that all sounds complicated, you're right -- as I said, the first game had a sort of understated elegance to it, and this version is a lot more complex (and maybe even burdened, you might say, by the various in-app purchase possibilities available). But we'll see what players think -- Flight Control Rockets is due out later this month. EA's also working on a World Series of Poker app that even the company's rep admitted was very similar to the already-available Zynga Poker: It's completely online, a freemium title driven by microtransactions, and includes a lot of social fuctions (and even a subscription "VIP" service, if you're so inclined). Unless you're already interested in Zynga's social poker offerings, you might not be too interested by this one, but it's worth saying that EA's app also includes Omaha play, and a few nice metagame options, like the opportunity to quest for a WSOP ring. The poker game is due out early summer. Finally for EA's core lineup, the company is also porting the popular downloadable console title Burnout Crash to iOS, and developer Criterion Games has made quite a few improvements just for this platform. Most notably, the controls are now all touch and swipe based -- rather than going with an odious virtual stick layout, players now swipe their crashed cars around the screen, trying to line up as many explosive and destructive combos as possible. The game looks great (and will probably look even better on the new iPad), and there are new tweaks to the various game modes (Road Trip is now called Road Block) and a lot of nice features (Autolog has been implemented in full) to play with. Burnout Crash is a paid title that should be out later this month. EA recently purchased Chillingo, and that company's titles were on display at GDC as well. The most interesting offering was a really gorgeous flying game called Air Mail, which seems quite well crafted by N-Fusion Interactive, and just looks terrific on the iPad's big screen. The company did go with virtual buttons and a joystick for the default controls (though they are rendered beautifully anyway), but the most interesting feature of the game are the "Advanced Mode Controls," hidden in the game's menus. For that scheme, players use two thumbs on the screen to control either one of the plane's wings, and then can move the iPad or iPhone around in real space, using the gyroscope and accelerometer to guide the plane. It's hard (and I crashed quite often while using it), but once you get the hang of it, it's not only very exciting, but you can also do some pretty spectacular stunts. Air Mail offers a full campaign of more than 20 missions, but I'm most excited about the Explore mode, which just lets you fly around the game's amazing environments at will for as long as you want, finding and collecting various objects. Among Chillingo's other offerings is an interesting title called The Act, which is basically an animated romantic comedy movie that you control at certain times. The premise might be a little strange, and I found the "controls" a little confusing (at one point, I was supposed to swipe towards a woman to try to get my character to be attracted by him, but (as in real life, I suppose) the feedback on whether she was interested or not was a little unclear). Still, The Act's animation looks very well-done, and it's a project that's quite a few years in the making. We'll have to see how it comes out later on this year. Obviously, EA and its various mobile acquisitions are really hitting on all cylinders lately. There's definitely a big trend towards freemium and microtransactions, and I worry a little bit that some of the titles (Flight Control Rockets, especially) are going a little too far in that direction, and away from the core gameplay that really makes the absolute best iOS titles so popular. But we'll have to see how players respond going forward: If a title that heavily relies on the trappings of freemium games doesn't do as well as expected, maybe we'll see a return to a more subtle approach.
Is C-Spire getting the iPhone 4S? Its website says so (Update: confirmed)
Whoa, stop the presses -- we're not sure if this is officially in the pipeline or if it's just a matter of wishful thinking, but Sprint may not be the smallest carrier in the US to offer an iPhone 4S for much longer. That's right: regional carrier C-Spire (formerly known as Cellular South) has the iconic device splattered front and center on its home page, stating that it's coming soon. We're not certain if the iPhone 4 will be offered as well, and no specific availability or pricing is given yet, but you can sign up to be notified as soon as more 411 is ready. The possibility of one of the little guys getting the iPhone is an exciting prospect, since it may lead the charge for more regional service providers to get Apple'd up. We love rooting for the underdog, after all. Update: And just like that, it's official, folks! C-Spire just reached out to us to confirm that iPhone pre-registration begins today, with the device launch in "the coming weeks." Needless to say, if you're a C-Spire customer, your holiday wish list may have just grown. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 26, 2011: Last week we heard the rumor that Sprint would be launching the BlackBerry Curve 9350 on October 2nd, and we've finally received the official confirmation. The device will be hitting stores tomorrow for $80 with a two-year contract. [PhoneArena] The Motorola Photon WiMAX, referred to as the Photon 4G in the US, is now making its way to Japan as KDDI announced the launch of the device this past Monday. [Motorola] Verizon Wireless launched the Pantech Jest 2 this week, which is a feature phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [Verizon Wireless] The Samsung Galaxy Y is now listed as "coming soon" on O2's website, which makes it the second carrier to announce upcoming availability in the UK. The actual date of release, however, is still unofficial. [O2] Softbank (Japan) looks ready to land the ZTE Lord V882, which appears to be an Android device running on Gingerbread, and comes packed with a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.8-inch LCD at WVGA resolution and a 5MP camera. [LandofDroid] NTT DoCoMo and Orange have teamed up to offer the Sharp AQUOS SH80F, which features dual 8MP stereoscopic cameras and claims to be the world's first Android device capable of converting 2D content into 3D in real time. It'll first be launched in France on October 6th and will follow to other European and Asian countries shortly after. [Softpedia] Maybe Microsoft Canada just assumed nobody actually reads terms and conditions, because the company outed the names of a few upcoming Windows Phones in the T&C for a developer contest: the Nokia Sabre and a duo of Samsungs named the Yukon and Wembley. The Nokia Searay was also named in the list, indicating the Sabre is a second device running on Mango. [Nokia HDBlog (translated)] In preparation for its Windows Phone debut, Nokia is also rumored to be featuring a new voice navigation system with 3D maps, according to some leaked marketing materials. [WinRumors] Here's a rendering of the HTC EVO Design 4G, also known as the Kingdom or Hero S. [Pocketnow] Samsung may have a midrange device coming soon to AT&T's lineup as a complement to the Galaxy S II. We've already seen the I857 pass through the FCC and show up in a leaked roadmap, and now it appears to have been dubbed the Doubletime, according to uncovered Cellebrite records. [Pocketnow] Also appearing in Cellebrite records are the HTC Vigor (PH98100), Motorola Droid HD (XT912), and the Samsung Nexus Prime (SCH-i515). [Droid-Life]
Dell confirms XPS 14z will go on sale in the US in the 'coming weeks'
Remember that XPS 14z Dell teased at IFA? Yeah, well, it's arriving soon. As in, "the coming weeks" soon. The company just confirmed it's on the cusp of shipping here in the states, and while the outfit stopped short of giving a starting price, it's good and ready to talk specs. As we reported last month, it has the same industrial design as its big brother, the XPS 15z, and we're told it, too, measures less than an inch thick (0.9 inches, to be precise). With the 14-incher, though, you'll enjoy LG's Shuriken display, which means we have one narrow bezel to look forward to. Look for it with a Core i5-2430M or Core i7-2640M CPU, NVIDIA Optimus graphics, a slot-loading optical drive, USB 3.0 and a starting weight of 4.36 pounds (that's 4.12 pounds if you upgrade to an SSD). You heard the company -- we'll get the full spill in a few weeks -- but for now, skip past the break for another sneak peak. Update: You want dimensions? We've got 'em. The XPS 14z measures 13.19 x 9.21 x 0.9 inches (335 x 234 x 23mm).
Motorola Electrify coming to US Cellular this month as a rebranded Photon 4G
We shouldn't be completely shocked by the news, but it's great to hear regardless. US Cellular announced the upcoming availability of the Motorola Electrify, which is essentially its rebranded version of the Photon 4G -- sans WiMAX, of course. The device will be ready for your purchase sometime later this month for $200, which is the same starting cost as Sprint's variant provided you don't factor in the initial $100 mail-in rebate. The Electrify is a 1GHz dual-core handset with Android 2.3, a 4.3-inch qHD display, webtop support and 8MP rear / VGA front-facing camera set. We definitely love seeing powerhouses like this make it to the smaller carriers, so if you're an interested US Cellular fanboy or girl, just be sure that you're not dying to see what the company will offer when its LTE network launches. [Thanks, ChuckyTee]
Samsung Galaxy S II 'coming soon' to AT&T, sign up page goes live
So a regional carrier from the home of Palin and moose meat beat 'em to the punch, but AT&T's at least showing signs that it's ready to get the Samsung Galaxy S II train rolling. While it still looks like Sprint will be the first of the Big Four to bring its variant of the Android phone to the US, AT&T's page for the handset is now live and sporting a nice big "Coming Soon!" That's all she wrote for now, but if you're dying to find out when Ma Bell will bring this Galaxy to you, hit the source link and sign up to get your email updates on.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray shows up on Vodafone UK, inches towards launch
If you've been counting down the days leading up to the Xperia Ray's release, get set to add a few more X's to that calendar. A recent product page over on Vodafone UK teases an imminent launch for the svelte, Sony Ericsson handset, and slims down that multi-hued selection to one gold-backed option. The 3.3-incher had previously been up for pre-order on Play.com with a purported mid-August release, only to see that date slip back into the folds of September. Whenever the phone does finally make it to market, expect to see this quadband HSPA-capable device sporting an 854 x 480 Reality display, 1GHz processor, 8.1 megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 2.3. Import-minded types can look forward to running an unlocked version on AT&T, or just wait around for a potential stateside release. Eager for more info? Then head to the source below where you can sign-up for the deets.
ASUS Eee Pad Slider going on sale 'soon,' price is still anyone's guess
ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer might still be difficult to track down, but at least all systems are go for the company's other Honeycomb tablet, the Eee Pad Slider. The company confirmed today that the 10.1-inch tablet, originally slated for May, is "coming soon" -- no word, of course, on whether it will ditch Tegra 2 for an Atom Z670 CPU, as rumored. Next up, ASUS, give us a price, capiche? Last time we checked, the company was estimating it would cost between $500 and $800, so your guess is as good as ours as to how sweet a value this will be. Hopefully, we'll get to see this elusive tab again at Computex next week, but in the meantime, hit the source links for some tightly cropped teaser shots of it running Honeycomb.
Xi3 modular PC reborn as Chrome OS desktop, promises independence from local storage
Chromebooks a tad too mobile for you? Sensing the market is at last ready for Google's web-based OS, Xi3 decided to ship the ChromiumPC, an updated version of the modular, Chrome OS-based desktop it trotted out as a concept last year. The computer (also known as the 5 Series) has a processor module and two I/O ones -- a design whose promise is that installing a different operating system should be as easy as swapping out that first board. And, cheekily, the company expects it to go on sale July 4th, a day when Chromium OS owners can "declare their independence from the built-in obsolescence of other computers." Got that, folks? Your mature operating system and local storage are useless. No word yet on pricing, so here's hoping Chrome OS isn't a moot point or anything by the time we find out. Full PR after the break.
HTC Merge launching on US Cellular on April 29th? (updated)
While we wait for the HTC Merge to maybe (or quite possibly) launch on Verizon, the phone's rolling out fast and furious on smaller carriers. Alltel's already selling it, Cellular South said it plans to, and now it seems US Cellular is gearing up to launch it on Friday. If you take a gander at that screen grab an anonymous tipster sent in, it's clear the carrier is putting the finishing touches on its plan to unveil the device in its retail stores. Just to refresh your memories, the Merge is a world phone with a slide-out keyboard, 3.8-inch touchscreen, and 5 megapixel autofocus camera running Android 2.2 with HTC's Sense UI layered on top. Still no word on whether US Cellular will match its competitors' sweet $125 price or bundle Amazon's App Store, but we're optimistic on both counts. Update: A US Cellular rep wrote in to clarify that the carrier will launch the Merge "later this spring," not this Friday. So there you have it!
HTC EVO 3D coming to Europe, keeping the sexy name and specs
Earlier this year, HTC allowed its previously Verizon-exclusive brand name out to prowl the globe with the Incredible S, and now it's doing the same with the heretofore Sprint-only EVO moniker. The EVO 3D, says a tweet from HTC's French mouthpiece, is coming to the land of baguettes, stylish mustaches and stripy pullovers, though a little bit of mystery remains as to when exactly its arrival shall be. Whatever the schedule (the EVO 3D's set for a "summer" release in the US), the rest of Europe's unlikely to be left out, meaning a 4.3-inch superphone with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1080p video recording in 2D and 720p in 3D, HTC's newest Sense skin and Android's freshest Gingerbread build, is headed out to the Old World. And that, fellow pilgrims, is a mighty awesome thing indeed.
Sprint renames the HTC 7 Pro the Arrive, launching it tomorrow
Punch sprint.com/arrive into your address bar and the above is what you shall find. Not a generic error marker but a URL-specific "coming soon" message that would seem to confirm the existence and indeed near-future arrival of the HTC Arrive. Beyond that bit of web sleuthing, we also have ourselves a proven tipster informing us that this will be a carrier-branded version of HTC's 7 Pro and confirming that it will be launched tomorrow. A tweet from Sprint earlier this week, intimated heavily that it's about to introduce a Windows Phone 7 handset on the 24th, which we surmised to mean exactly the long-awaited 7 Pro QWERTY slider. Already available in Europe, this device will serve as the first CDMA representative from the WP7 stable, meaning that you'll soon be able to Glance and Go on the Now Network of alliterative advertising slogans.
Sony Reader app hitting iPhone and Android devices in December
Playing catchup, are we? Sony's hot on the trail of Amazon and Barnes and Noble, who already have e-reading apps for the Android and iOS platforms, with its own freshly announced Reader offering set for release next month. The functionality in this upcoming slice of software will be familiar: you get to access books already purchased at the Reader Store or pony up cash for new ones, while making bookmarks, notes and highlights on your mobile device. Throw in adjustable fonts and you've got your boilerplate beginning to a decent mobile e-reader. Now you just need to pick your fave ebook purveyor.
Dell Inspiron Duo tablet could be with us next week
Alright, we know AMD's busy showing off its Atom killer, but there's still a little life left in Intel's netbook stalwart, which has been harnessed to its fullest in Dell's screen-flipping Duo tablet / netbook. And the good news is that we apparently won't have to wait too long to see that zany concoction out in the real world. Well placed sources have informed CNET that Dell intends to release the Inspiron Duo at some point next week, potentially on November 23rd, while pre-sale information should be dished out later this week, alongside Microsoft's announcement of a new store opening. Things are moving along nice and swiftly, it would seem. Update: And just to fan those flames of desire a little more, the Duo has shown up in Microsoft's latest cloud computing advert. See it after the break.
Dell Studio XPS 14, 15 and 17 packing NVIDIA Optimus lunch for imminent launch?
It would seem Dell's suffered another of its signature pre-release leaks, as the folks over at Logicbuy have a full trio of new laptops from Round Rock to tease us with. The three new Studio machines -- imaginatively titled the XPS 14, XPS 15, and XPS 17 -- are said to come with anodized aluminum shells and brushed aluminum palm rests, NVIDIA Optimus switchable graphics (up to the GeForce GTS 445M on the XPS 17) and options for Blu-ray drives, 16GB of RAM, and Core i7 CPUs. The accompanying pictures of each laptop are what leads us to believe Logicbuy has simply stumbled upon some prematurely published Dell pages, which in turn leads to the deduction that their proper launch can't be too far away. Sherlock Holmes, eat your stony heart out.
