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iFixit intros Dozuki, promises 'service manuals that don't suck'
The words "assembly required" shouldn't elicit a horrified shudder. Unfortunately we've all been on the wrong side of at least one connect-A-to-B mishap, which is where iFixit's Dozuki comes in. The service, now in beta, promises an end to user-manual aversion, providing manufacturers a new, updatable tool for delivering instructions to customers. Among other features, Dozuki provides a new form of distribution for otherwise static documents, delivering manuals through downloadable PDFs as well as dedicated apps. What's more, it gives users a say, allowing "expert customers" the ability to pitch in their two cents. The program is now available in beta and will officially launch this spring. If you're looking for a new way to say "insert x into y," full PR awaits you after the break.
Droid 3 leaks reveal manual, confirm July 7th and 14th release dates
The oft-leaked Motorola Droid 3 is dripping information yet again, this time over on Droid-Life where an internal flyer confirms it will be available at retail locations July 14th, with direct fulfillment orders (upgrade in-store, get the phone by mail) starting a week earlier. If that's somehow not enough, there's also a PDF copy of the manual available for download but if you watched the tutorial videos there's probably not much new information to be digested there. The one detail that continues to elude us however, is a confirmed price for Verizon's QWERTY slider w/ 1080p camera and dual core processor, but after all the early reveals we're sure you've had time to scrape together a suitable dowry.
Duke Nukem Forever digital manual refers to Apple's App Store
Stick with us on this one: An industrious Touch Arcade forum goer did a little poking around the Steam page for the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever release (the long, long, loooong-awaited title is finally, supposedly, coming out in June of this year). On that page is a link to the game's manual for the digital release, and in that manual, there's some legal boilerplate lifted straight from Apple's "App Store Additional License Terms." So there's a few potential things happening there. First up, this could simply mean there's a Mac version of the game on the way to the Mac App Store, though if that was the case, odds are that the game would be released on Steam for Mac as well, and it's not currently listed as a Steam Play title. Or, as Touch Arcade speculates, there could be a version of Duke Nukem Forever coming to iOS. That's an interesting rumor -- last I heard, Duke Nukem Forever was using a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 2.5, but of course, Gearbox (the company that has taken over the game to finally finish it), has extensive experience with Unreal Engine 3, an engine we've already seen running successfully on the iPhone. It seems a little much to hope for a full iOS port, but when (if?) Duke finally returns to video gaming, he may arrive on iOS in some form as well.
Dell Precision M4600 and M6600 specs emerge in leaked manual
Since we first peeked the new Sandy Bridge-equipped Dell Precision M4600 and M6600 back in February we haven't heard much about these mobile workstations. We still don't have prices or a release date, but a leaked manual has finally delivered some specs -- and CAD enthusiasts won't be disappointed. Both the 15.6-inch M4600 and the 17-inch M6600 can be configured with up to a Core i7 Quad Extreme 2920XM and 32GB of RAM. The smaller, 6.3-pound M4600 comes standard with a 1GB AMD FirePro M5950 and can be upgraded to an NVIDIA Quadro 2000M with 2GB. The more beastly 7.5-pound M6600 starts with a 2GB FirePro M8900 and has options ranging all the way up to a 4GB Quadro 5010M. Both machines also come packing two USB 3.0 ports, a pair of USB 2.0 connectors, an eSATA jack, and an IEEE 1394 port, giving you plenty of room to plug in all the external drives, cameras, scientific instruments, and cat-shaped mouse cozies your little heart desires. [Thanks, Wolf]
Leaked BlackBerry PlayBook training manual appears online, Bill Belichick yells 'innocent!'
Twiddling your thumbs in anticipation now that you've placed your PlayBook preorder? Why not put yourself to good use by teaching that dusty cranium how to use it? At first glance, this guide for retail salespeople looks like it could have been thrown together by us, complete with a tour of the ports and a helpful reminder that you can use the touchscreen in both landscape and portrait mode. But it's in the sales simulation section that things really start to get interesting. For all the talk about how the PlayBook is an obvious companion for BlackBerry owners, it's clear RIM got the memo about making it palatable to consumers, too. For instance, the company would rather reps say it "offers stunning multimedia, true multitasking, and access to the whole internet -- no exceptions," than "[It] gives you the business tools you need to transform the way you work." Hit the source link to get acquainted and do pay attention -- like a third-grade spelling lesson or visit to the DMV, it comes with a quiz (or eight). [Thanks, Velkcro]
The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth & Beyond: Final memories
The question that lurks deep in the recesses of most MMO gamers' minds -- the question that they never really want to ask -- is what will happen when the lights go out? When your favorite game is finally sent to its resting place in that server farm in the sky, will we still care about it, and if so, what will we be able to take away? While most of us have yet to face this, considering the longevity of most launched MMOs, it does happen, and it will certainly happen to us sooner or later. And while you won't be able to take your max-leveled, uber-geared character out of the game and into another one, you hopefully have the memories, the friendships, the screenshots, and the bragging rights. With many canceled MMOs, the shutdown is fairly abrupt following the official announcement, although some games, like Earth & Beyond, give players enough time to say their goodbyes and get in those final experiences before everything goes dark. Like many of the games we've been exploring in The Game Archaeologist, Earth & Beyond may not have enjoyed stellar popularity, but it certainly did have a remnant of dedicated fans who have yet to let the flames of their adoration die down. Today we've got a buffet of E&B goodness: the background story from the manual, final memories from a few fans, and a photo album full of concept art and nostalgic screenshots. Sound good? Let's go!
Motorola Xoom manual now available for download, ready to expose the ins and outs of Honeycomb
Wish you had your Xoom tablet already? Yeah, us too. We can't get you there, but thanks to Droid Live you can at least pore over every page of the thing's manual. 64 pages, actually, covering everything from how to turn it on to, well, how to turn it off again. Looking for other excitement? You'll find a hipster on a bench on page 10, what appears to be Joanna Newsom on page 30, and a disgustingly happy couple on page 33. Oh, and lots and lots of details bout Honeycomb too. Check it out! [Thanks, Andy]
BlueSLR dongle and app turn your iPhone into a DSLR remote shutter release
You have a phone, you have a DSLR, yet although you love them both equally, the two pretty much never speak. This failure in capturing synergistic value is now at an end, however, thanks to the BlueSLR Bluetooth dongle and its accompanying iOS app. Compatible with iPhones (down to the 3G model), iPod touches (second generation and above), and iPads, this remote control system will let you manually trigger your Nikon's shutter release from a distance of up to 300 feet. There's also GPS tagging, if you're into that sort of thing, and a toggle in the app for adjusting exposure length. The app itself's free, though the dongle will set you back a mighty $149. At least it communicates via Bluetooth, which won't require line of sight like Nikon's own IR remotes. Compatibility is set to expand to include Canon DSLRs and Android and BlackBerry smartphones in the future, but if you've already got a D5000 and an iPhone 4 lying around looking wistfully at one another, you can pre-order your BlueSLR at the source link below.
Samsung throws up hands, posts Continuum user manual on Verizon website
There is a slim possibility that come tomorrow evening, Samsung won't reveal the dual-display Continuum smartphone. But honestly, the company may not have to, as all the pertinent details have already leaked out. However, if you harbor any lingering curiosity about how that 1.8-inch secondary "ticker" display might work, you can find out right now -- the full user manual is inexplicably available on Verizon's website ahead of a formal announcement, along with the standard size comparison and 360-degree views. Find them at our source links immediately below.
HTC Mozart slips out on official Orange UK website, shows us how to replace its SIM and battery
This is so bad, it's hilarious. As if the HTC Mozart needed any further confirmation of its existence and imminent arrival to British shores, Orange's official web portal has decided to instruct us on how to replace the internal bits of this unannounced Windows Phone 7 handset. That's right, even though HTC and Microsoft are acting all cloak and dagger about it, the freaking phone's name and likeness are hanging out on Orange's official website. Have we said the word "official" enough times already? Skip past the break for a couple more image grabs which are sure to disappear just as soon as Orange finally figures out what day of the month this is.
HTC Merge / Lexicon user manual leaks out
We've already seen the phone itself in the wild, and the folks over at Droid Life have now gotten their hands on what appears to be an early version of the HTC Merge / Lexicon user guide. While there's not a ton of surprises to be found, it does further confirm the inclusion of Bing (and Bing Maps), and the fact that it is indeed a global phone. What's more, Droid Life notes that any mention of the phone's name seems to have been left out, suggesting that HTC hasn't yet completely decided whether to call it the Merge, Lexicon or something else -- the site seems confident that it won't be called "Droid," however, although it says it's heard "murmurs" that was once under consideration.
Dell Zino HD 410 quietly leaks out with AMD quad-core potential
Once upon a time, Dell's Zino HD promised desktop parts in a tiny box and didn't quite deliver the goods, but it was still cute and powerful enough a mini-desktop to earn a spot on our holiday gift guide. This time round, it looks like Dell might actually fulfill that original pledge, as support documents leaked at the company's website show the box sporting an AMD RS880M chipset capable of socketing Phenom II quad-core processors. While it only comes with onboard Radeon HD 4250 graphics by default, a Mobility Radeon 5450 GPU is listed as a potential option at launch, and the box can now hold up to 8GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory alongside 802.11n WiFi and Blu-ray drive options. On the front and back of the small box, you'll find practically exactly the same ports, but there is a new optical S/PDIF socket capable of piping 7.1 surround sound. While there's no guarantee all these options are slated for a stateside launch, we imagine Dell will either deliver or keep a tighter lid on these sorts of docs. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Droid 2 manual leaks, teaches you everything you need to know about a phone you don't have
You know the drill: blurry shots of phone get leaked... user's manual gets leaked... excited would-be buyers voraciously consume manual's contents... phone finally gets released. Indeed, that's precisely the same well-trodden path the upcoming Droid 2 is taking, so if you're looking at getting this thing in the next few weeks, you might want to start skimming the documentation so there aren't any embarrassing newbie missteps in your first few moments of ownership. As Droid Life notes, we've got more confirmation here that the phone will be running the same skin as the Droid X, complete with the Swype-enabled (and presumably multitouch-enabled) soft keyboard for those times when you're too lazy to pull out the physical keyboard. We can't imagine what else could possibly leak at this point -- so hey, Verizon, can we recommend you go ahead and get this show on the road?
Canon EOS 7D joins fleet in receiving firmware update to fix manual exposure movie bug
"Fixes a phenomenon in which the set aperture moves when shooting movies in manual exposure mode using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses)." If you've got a 5D Mark II, 1D Mark IV, or Rebel T2i handy and have been keeping its firmware fresh, that phrase should be all too familiar; all three of those shooters have received updates in the past two months to fix such an issue, and now it's time for the EOS 7D to get a fix all its own. Our darling budding filmmakers' tool is also getting a few tweaks with AF point display and selection, and the multilingual copy editors of this world can breathe a deep sigh of relief as typos in the Spanish and Thai menus have been corrected. Well, what are you waiting for? Focus your lens on Canon's website and download away.
2011 Hyundai Equus user manual to be pre-loaded on a custom iPad
We thought of theiPad as soon as we first heard the 2011 Hyundai Equus would come with its user manual preloaded on a "multimedia tablet" instead of being printed out, and it looks like our hunch was correct: our friends at Autoblog have confirmed that Hyundai will be shipping a 16GB WiFi iPad with every Equus. The iPad will be packaged in a bespoke leather case with an embossed logo, suede interior, and even kickstand -- which'll come in quite handy as the user manual comes complete with video tutorials for many of the car's functions. Updates to the software will happen through iTunes, and the iPad sounds pretty stock otherwise, so that's a nice little perk. Just don't use it while you're driving, okay?
EVO 4G manual goes online, should hold you over for the next few hours
Wouldn't it be embarrassing if you activated your new EVO 4G in the store tomorrow morning and you didn't immediately know how to fire up a Qik video call? You'd be the butt of the joke -- just imagine the hearty laughter and pointing you'd receive from Sprint reps and fellow line-waiters! Don't let this happen to you, friends; come prepared. Read the manual now. [Thanks, Carl]
Out of the box concept aims to simplify cellphone instructions
It's not often that someone tries to reinvent the instruction manual, but that's just what Clara Gaggero and Adrian Westaway of Vitamins Design have done in conjunction with the Helen Hamlyn Center and Samsung Design Europe. While they've offered up a number of different ideas, the standout has to be the book concept pictured above, which literally puts the phone itself at the center of the user manual -- just flip through the pages and follow the directions that point right at the screen. Another interesting (but slightly further out) concept is a set of cards that would actually perform a function when touched on the screen (add a contact, record a voice memo, etc), and which would contain instructions on the back so you can eventually learn to do it yourself. Hit up the source link for a peek at that concept, along with a slightly less simple "map" idea that promises to help folks navigate though a phone's menu system.
Mystery Motorola Droid (Shadow?) spotted with Verizon branding, set to be starting somethin'
Why hello there... you. Over at the HowardForums, a certain "wnrussell" has uploaded a picture of what looks to be a Getting Started manual for a Verizon-bound Motorola Droid that we can't recall ever seeing before. There's unfortunately no other information provided at the moment, except maybe a hint from the filename: Shadow. Is this the same 4.3-inch phone we've been seeing rumored for some time now? At any rate, we gotta say, this is a pretty attractive device -- and if that's a new hue for Motoblur, we're all for it. Now how about pulling out a secret slide-out keyboard to make our lives complete... [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Final Fantasy XIV alpha test guide leaked
Information on the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIV has been coming in great rushes with the testing in full swing, and what we've been hearing only whets the appetite. Robust character customization, diverse character growth, and a unique battle system all offer something at once reminiscent and yet different from Final Fantasy XI. While Square-Enix has stayed fairly tight-lipped even as we've gotten more Japanese news on the game, the first major "leak" from the test has emerged: a full disclosure of the Alpha Tester's Manual, as sent out by Square to all of the game's testers. Although many elements of the game have already been disclosed from other sources, seeing everything laid out in the manual format helps make things a bit clearer. It also goes into more details about the limitations on the test, implying that several of them (such as the 20-ability limit) are unique to this phase of testing. There are also firmer details on things like Aetheryte, which function much like Final Fantasy XII's Save Crystals. If you're interested in Final Fantasy XIV, you can still glean more information from the newest leak, but like much news on the game it might just whet your appetite.
Verizon's HTC Incredible gets a user's manual
You can't buy an Incredible from Verizon just yet, but we're getting awfully close -- and in the meantime, you've got some exciting new reading material to pore over. It looks like the full, unabridged, seemingly final version of the phone's user's manual has just leaked over on Android Forums, and while there aren't any blockbuster revelations in here as far as we can tell, it confirms what we've long suspected: this is basically a CDMA Desire with an 8 megapixel camera. You've got the full Sense UI experience atop Android 2.1, a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display, 1GHz Snapdragon, and an optical joystick -- a new trend out of HTC that looks destined to completely supplant the trackball, much as it has already done for RIM. Around back, we've got some confirmation that the Incredible is going to feature a positively bizarre contoured battery cover; it might not be your first choice, but honestly, you're not going to let that stop you from buying, now, are you? [Thanks, eipee73]
