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Factor intros Vis Vires bike with Garmin ANT+ tracking down to the crank (video)
Cyclists who want ANT+ sensors frequently have to either buy multiple devices or resign themselves to relatively limited tracking. Not so with Factor Bikes' new Vis Vires. The high-end road bike comes with a specially mounted Garmin Edge 510 or 810 bike computer, giving it speed and other basic ride data from the start; more advanced models bring ANT+ aware cranks that register leg power at the pedals. You'll want to save up if you're interested, however. The entry Vis Vires Ultegra Di2 and its companion Edge 510 will ship in January for $7,830. An Ultegra Di2 variant with ANT+ cranks will arrive at the same time for $10,441, while the lighter, Edge 810-equipped Dura-Ace Di2 launches this August for a hefty $13,051.
Galaxy Prevail leaked along with other Boost and Virgin Mobile updates
A few hours ago -- mere days before a joint Samsung and Boost Mobile event scheduled April 5th in New York City -- we received a 19-page document from Sprint's Prepaid Group outlining the updates and devices coming to Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile this month. The piece de resistance in this document is the Galaxy Prevail, a Samsung phone that's been rumored for a couple weeks now. Details are scarce, but spec-wise it looks like a low-end Android smartphone with a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a 2 megapixel camera. As such, it's similar to the Galaxy Gio, but with a CDMA radio and a downgraded shooter. The Galaxy Prevail will be Boost Mobile's first CDMA Android smartphone and will be priced at $180. Boost Mobile will also begin volume sales of the Samsung Factor, a simple clamshell phone costing $50, and will offer new international flat-rate packages starting April 11th. The document also highlights a couple of devices for Virgin Mobile that are already available from parent company Sprint: the Samsung Restore, a QWERTY slider that will sell for $80, and the ZTE Peel 3200, an iPod touch case with built-in 3G hotspot that will retail for $100. We don't have any details on availability other than "April", but you can take a look at the leaked document in our gallery below. %Gallery-120277% [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Macworld 2010: iPad mockup hands-on
The other day at Macworld Expo 2010, we did a quick interview with Tim Hickman, CEO of Hard Candy Cases. During that interview, in which they showed off an already-made iPad case, I asked him how they knew what the iPad would be like. He said that they had heavily researched the dimensions, including stats from Apple's site, information from over 300 pictures of the keynote (in which they compared the iPad's dimensions to things like a wristwatch band), and even some not-quite-public plans from an unnamed Chinese manufacturer. With all of that information, they had actually simulated and constructed an "as-close-to-real-as-you-can-get" mockup of the iPad's size and form. Then, on Saturday, the folks from Hard Candy Cases came back by the booth, and their VP of products, David Adam, said he'd actually brought the iPad mockup to the show, and asked if we would like to see and hold it. Considering that there wasn't actually a working iPad at Macworld this year, we of course gladly said yes. You can see what it looks like above, and hit the link below for our impressions of what it's like to finally hold and touch the closest thing to an iPad that money can buy.
Wii Warm Up: Form factor
Beware its sheer immensity. Why, it positively towers over your miniature teacup poodle. The Wii is so beyond intimidating, we have created a new word for it: immonstrosifying. Add that to your SAT vocabulary.All right, so the Wii is a barely out of the microscopic range. Still, its overall polish makes it a nice eye-pleaser in your home theater setup ... or does it? How is your Wii oriented: horizontally or vertically? Do you use the stand? Is the glossy white an eyesore, and is it even in plain view? Does it look silly next to your PS3 or 360? Does Lamar really approve of Kool-Aid? Speak up, dear readers!
DS Daily: GBA stickout
The DS Lite improved upon its predecessor in almost every way. Brighter, sleeker, and smaller .. but, alas, it perhaps became a bit too small. Due to it's decreased size, the DS Lite was unable to fully house GBA cartridges, creating a veritable tumor on your system.In days of yore, we would carry around our DS permanently loaded with both our current DS game of choice, as well as a pick-up-and-play GBA game. These days, we seek to retain our beautiful form factor and simply leave the placeholder "cart" in the slot. Do you guys care about the GBA functionality at all, and are you willing to handle the eyesore? Ladies and gentlemen, to your comments!
Japanese hardware sales, 6 November - 12 November: Supply and demand edition
You can hear the cries from the rooftops:"OMG the PS3 sold out rofl fastest in world!!!111oneone""It is teh greatest system evar!""Chim-chiminny chim-chiminny chim-chim, cheroo..."And yes, it's true, the PS3 did sell out every single available unit within minutes of 12:01 AM last week, driving a majority of gamers, cold and hungry, empty-handed through the night. Certainly, we can allow ourselves a little bit of pride, though, right? Yes, as expected, the DS Lite outsold the brand-spanking-new PS3 by a considerable margin this week, despite the two-year-plus availability. Sony's Japanese allotment of the PS3 was nothing short of pathetic, and when those savvy Japanese gamers weigh the risks and rewards of the purchase, the DS Lite (which has reached the point of being able to walk up to a random eighty-year-old on the street and expect him to have at least one on him at any given moment) looks mighty shiny. Besides, they hate first-person shooters.So hear this: we expect the DS Lite to outsell PS3 (in Japan) by a factor of 6.13 throughout the holiday season. That includes this week, and will run until the final full week in 2006. Make your guesses, ladies and gents, and we'll see who comes the closest!- DS Lite: 148,174 35,077 (31.01%)- PS3: 81,639 81,639 (N / A) - PSP: 19,123 4,602 (19.40%) - PS2: 16,157 4,825 (23.00%) - Xbox 360: 3,864 2,716 (41.28%) - GBA SP: 1,320123 (8.52%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,213 86 (6.62%) - Gamecube: 496 151 (23.34%) - DS Phat: 279 94 (25.20%) - GBA: 12 8 (40.00%) - Xbox: 3 3 (N / A)[Source: Media Create]
