details
Latest
Toshiba's G900 launching this month in Europe and Japan?
Hold tight Europeans and Japanese -- if reports straight from a showcase in Paris are to be believed, you'll be able to get your palms around Toshiba's inviting G900 "this month." Of course, with but a few days left until July, it will only be a matter of hours before this hunch is proven true or false, but considering that it did already pass through the gates of the FCC, it's not too far fetched. So, do let us know if you're able to locate one across the pond in the coming days, will ya?[Via PocketPCThoughts]
iriver's UNIT2 detailed on teaser site
Mmm, there's nothing like fragmented high-resolution photos of a lust-worthy device to get us salivating, and iriver's marketing department has done an exquisite job figuring that out. Shortly after unveiling the sexiest e-dictionary known to man, the much anticipated UNIT2 conglomerate received its own teaser site, complete with photos and a few extra details you should know. While it has yet to lose its mystique, we now know (officially, at least) that the base will act as a DVD player, TV tuner, access point, charging station, hard drive, and a speaker station. Aside from sporting an SD slot and USB connectivity, this beauty will handle music, movies, photos, eBooks, and WiFi streaming without breaking a sweat. Mechanically, you can expect an automatic sliding door, detachable display, slot-loaded CD / DVD deck, and a 78-key controller to manage the fun. No word yet on the price, but be sure to peek the additional photos below.%Gallery-4121%
Further iPhone launch day details unearthed
Alright, you already knew what day the thing was launching, then you discovered the time, and finally, you realized that you wouldn't even have to get off work early on the left coast thanks to all sales happening in local time zones. For those still obsessing over what will go down just a fortnight from now, BGR has discovered that "all AT&T stores will be closing up at 4:30PM" while employees set up those cutesy iPhone displays, toss back a few Red Bulls, and hopefully receive their shipments from the (potentially armored) trucks. At 6:00PM, either the doors will open back up or the fanatics will force their way in, and the outlets could stay open "as late as midnight" to satisfy the demand. Oh, and make sure you bring some spare change along -- word on the street is that a bevy of typical accessories (chargers, cases, etc.) will be tempting you as you wade through the checkout line.[Image courtesy of Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Zaprudering the iPhone Commercials: Maps
Wow. The things you can learn from Apple commercials. Notice anything about that map icon? It looked mighty familiar to me and as TUAW reader Brian noted in our comments, that's a wee stylized image of 1 Infinite Loop, Apple Headquarters--or at least...kind of. The arrow looks more like it's on North de Anza Boulevard than Infinite Loop itself, but it's close enough for me. Here are a bunch of other things I've noticed about iPhone maps. We got a great look at the keyboard interface, when doing the Maps search. The QWERTY keyboard includes a shift button, a delete button, an option to switch to a numeric view, and a search button (which I assume is the same as "return").It looks like the interaction order is: Search, select a pin, press the (>) button on the link, and then view the location information. Pacific Catch is a real restaurant. I called it up and spoke briefly to a hostess named Fancy (like the adjective). "We've been getting calls all morning from all over the country. People want to know if we're a real business. We are." %Gallery-3638%
More dirt on Intel's Penryn / Nehalem architecture
While you've been off dreaming of long-range WiFi, Intel's not forgotten about its Penryn / Nehalem architectures, and thanks to an uber-boring slideshow presentation, we now know more than ever about the forthcoming duo. As expected, there isn't much new on the oft detailed Penryn front, but the fresher Nehalem most certainly piqued our interest; while built on the same 45-nanometer technology as its predecessor, Nehalem is being hailed as "the most dramatic architecture shift since the introduction of the front-side bus in the Pentium Pro in 1996." Attempting to back up such bold claims came news that HyperThreading would be native to Nehalem, and it would "share data at the L1 and potentially, the L3 cache levels," allow eight-core CPUs to clock down to two / four, and boast scalability options to satisfy a wider market. Most intriguing, however, was the "optional high performance integrated graphics" that could reportedly be included on the same processor die, which could certainly prove interesting if crammed into, say, a UMPC. So if you're still not satisfied with the highlights, and don't get enough mundane PowerPoint action from your corporate employment, be sure to hit the read link when your friends aren't looking.
Gay gamer survey results with large hetero inclusion
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Gay_gamer_survey_results_with_large_hetero_inclusion'; In the summer of 2006, after receiving academic approval from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Jason Rockwood opened up the "Gaymer Survey" to the public. Rockwood expected 600 participants -- if he was lucky -- for the first-of-its-kind approved study exploring the social and behavioral demographic of gay video game players and the role of sexual orientation on gaming habits. The survey was discussed in some regional lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) publications and filtered out to the gaming press. The survey, with over 10,000 respondents, became a sexually inclusive survey of gamers -- gay, straight and bi.The study originally broke new ground for not only being the first study exploring LGBT gamers, but it was the first academic study of any gamer group. There is currently no academic studies of female gamers or gamers of color. In a 2006 interview, Rockwood said, "The main purpose of the survey was to be a census. Before we can ask more intelligent questions we need to know who we are dealing with. First, we need to prove that homosexual gamers even exist. Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, but that's where you have to start on something like this. This survey is an attempt to quantify the existence of an invisible minority."Continue after the break for some highlights from the survey
Found Footage: iPhoneology
Back during the Cold War there were experts on the Soviet Union called "kremlinologists" who would study, in exhausting detail, any information that leaked out from behind the Iron Curtain for clues about what the Russians might be up to. Well, now I think the guys over at Actioncorp.net have earned the title of "iPhoneologist" for the thoroughly detailed examination of the Keynote for clues about Apple's forthcoming gadget. Interesting tidbits include more information (and reasonable speculation) on the calendar app, Google maps, ringtones and more. This YouTube video is well produced and definitely worth a a viewing.[Via Digg]
Apple TV gets a full blown specification list, sort of
Whether you've dropped your hard-earned $299 for Apple's forthcoming Apple TV, or you're just waiting to find out a bit more details on the thing before pulling the trigger, AppleInsider reportedly has the dirt we geeks adore. According to Apple's website, the device sports an elusive "Intel processor" and a 40GB hard drive, but we all know there's a lot more to this 7.7- x 7.7-inch box than what Steve is letting us know; thankfully, some folks in the know have supposedly dug up just what's under the silver lid, and it seems that you're paying three hundred bones for some rather antiquated components. Getting us started is a 1GHz Pentium-M-based chip, codenamed "Crofton," which has been underclocked to run on a 350MHz bus, and it's purportedly based on Intel's Dothan core, which includes 2MB of L2 cache. Additionally, an NVIDIA G72M with 64MB of DDR2 RAM is included for video purposes, and a quarter gigabyte of 400MHz DDR2 system RAM is soldered to the logic board. Also of note is its inability to function as its own wireless router / extender, despite the built-in 802.11n antenna, and while you'll find a USB port flanking the rear, it's presumably only there for "services and diagnostics purposes." So, in the end the Apple TV should still have plenty of horsepower to handle its well established duties, but it's certainly not packing a great lot of pizazz beneath the hood -- according to this report, anyway.
Some celebrities shying away from HD cameras
It's all but unanimous that sports programming looks entirely more appealing in high definition than in SD, but for folks on the other side of the cameras, adding all that detail can be intimidating, if not embarrassing. While the "grain structure of film allows for a softness" that lends a hand in covering up the not-so-attractive signs of aging, HD cameras tend to capture that raw, unassailable truth that some celebrities are less than fond of. Diane Sawyer, the 61-year old host of ABC's Good Morning America, reportedly acknowledged that the puffiness under her eyes could no long be covered up, as viewers looking on in HD "could see every flaw." To combat the newfangled "problem" posed to many on-camera stars, makeup firms are devising new "airbrushing" techniques to add glamor and remove blemishes without looking like a shot of Botox gone horribly awry. Interestingly, reports indicated that viewers tended to enjoy the rough, disclosing look on men, but would rather see dames looking their best through those pixel-packed lenses. Nevertheless, HD cameras are making flaws more and more noticeable, and apparently causing quite the ruckus from overly concerned celebrities all the same, but hey, that's the price you pay for being in the (1080i) limelight.
Dragon's Quest IX gameplay snippets
So, Dragon's Quest IX was announced for the DS recently, and though your classic J-RPG senses tingle, they may in fact go quite unsatisfied. As the mainstay series moves to a portable platform, there will also be some significant shifts in the classic DQ experience.DQIX seems to be leaning toward the action-RPG end of the role-playing spectrum, as the traditional random battles have been replaced by a Chrono Trigger-style "see the enemies in the field of play" approach. As all four characters' motion and actions are controlled independently, Square-Enix is pushing a four-player cooperative mode (via Wi-Fi? We still don't know) into the game. The players need not stay together; for instance, one player could journey into a nearby cave in search of treasure, while another can head back to town to pick up some much-needed curative supplies. Sounds simple, yet cool.Stylus control will be implemented, though details remain sketchy; Dragon's Quest IX will be released in 2007, and details remain awesome.
The interactive Wii cost calculator [update 2]
Let's face it: the true "price" of the Wii is nowhere close to two hundred and fifty dollars. It varies wildly from person to person, dependent on launch titles, extra controllers, and virtual console points. That's why some clever folks at N-sider.com have put together a lovely calculator for you, to determine how much you'll be spending come November. It gives accurate descriptions of all confirmed launch titles, and takes into account just about everything you could possibly desire ... except, unfortunately, an SD card. Still, with the limited number of Virtual Console titles at launch, the chances that you'll be needing a additional storage immediately are pretty slim. Check below for the entire Wii Fanboy staff's expected costs!Jason Wishnov - $476.94Extra controller w/nunchuk, classic controllerZelda: Twilight Princess, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz2000 Virtual Console pointsDavid Hinkle - $667.70Extra controller w/nunchukElebits, Excite Truck, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Trauma Center: Second Opinion2000 Virtual Console pointsAlisha Karabinus - $635.90Extra controller w/nunchuk, classic controllerExcite Truck, Red Steel, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Zelda: Twilight Princess2000 Virtual Console pointsNikki Inderlied - $558.99Extra controller w/nunchuk, classic controllerZelda: Twilight Princess, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Red Steel, Rayman Raving Rabbids500 Virtual Console pointsWhat are you guys spending? Let us know![Update 1: Added in Alisha's projected costs.][Update 2: Added in Nikki's projected costs.]
Aussie Wii for AUD399.95 on Dec. 7
Nintendo of Australia has just sent out a press release announcing the Wii will cost just over 399 Australian dollars when it is released there on Dec. 7. The release is short on further details, but does indicate Wii Sports will come packed in and that roughly 20 games will be available before the end of the year in the land down under. More details as we get them.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
U.S. Nintendo presser somewhat-liveblogging [update 8]
Our man on the ground in NYC for the U.S. Wii information event has been delayed [update 1: He's there and feeding information below the jump], but we're keeping up with the news via sites like GoNintendo and Engadget (who provided the above photo). A lot of the stuff was already revealed in the Japanese press conference early this morning but here's what seems to be new: Confirmed price of $249.99 on Nov. 19 in U.S. with Wii Sports pack-in. Worldwide debut is in U.S. Reggie: "One price, one config, one color: white." Included in box seems similar to Japanese system, besides Wii Sports. Games will cost roughly $49.99. Virtual console games will be $5 for NES, $8 for SNES, $10 for N64. Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong and Legend of Zelda at launch. Thirty titles in U.S. by year's end, about half at launch. Launch games include (compiled from GoNintendo/Engadget): The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Trauma Center, Madden 07, Need for Speed: Carbon, Elebits, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Metal Slug Anthology, Rayman: Raving Rabids, Red Steel, Barnyard, Cars, Avatar, Blazing Angels, Far Cry: Vengeance. Continue reading for more direct from the press conference.
USA Today confirms U.S. Wii price, date
With Nintendo's American conference set to start any minute, USA Today is confirming the U.S. Wii launch date of Nov. 19 and price of $250 in the U.S. (the news was originally broken early this morning by the New York Times). The USA Today story also includes confirms $5 -$10 pricing for most virtual console games and has a picture of what seems to be the U.S. box for the system (above) complete with a big note that Wii Sports is indeed included.Keep checking Joystiq for all the news coming out of Nintendo HQ today.[Thanks Marty]
Ecto3 development details posted
Adriaan of Kula Software, developers of such excellent apps as endo and my personal favorite blogging app - ecto, has posted some juicy development details to his blog on the upcoming ecto version 3. One of the biggest changes Adriaan mentions is a new plugin architecture, which should make it much easier for code ninjas to let ecto work with many more APIs. The account manager has also received an overhaul, and users will be able to create accounts without having to go through a wizard. Filtering and searching entries have also been improved and sped up, and a new rich text editor is based on Mac OS X's editable WebKit. Finally, Adriaan is also beefing up template support to "[handle] templates in a more transparent way".Alas, if your mouth is already watering (like mine), it's going to have to stay that way, as Adriaan hasn't posted any kind of ETA for the new version. On the bright side, he'll be updating his blog with details as development progresses, and you can be assured we'll stay on top of things for you.
Nintendo to announce DS Lite pricing/release deets on Thursday?
So we don't actually have any new information on the U.S. pricing and release date of Nintendo's DS Lite; rather we're simply here to pass on the fact that these important details will supposedly be available on Thursday. Our hot sister blog Joystiq is reporting that a recent 1UP podcast revealed both the May 4th announcement as well as the actual pricing/launch info, but the latter deets were bleeped out in order to conform with pesky embargoes and non-disclosure agreements. You can be sure that we'll be on high alert later this week to bring you all the info as soon as it's available, and remember, the sooner you start standing in line for your new DS, the sooner we can post amusing pics of people suffering for their hobby.[Via Joystiq]
