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Oppo N3's motorized swivel camera takes selfies to the next level
If you thought Oppo was done with making eccentric selfie phones, you're wrong; the Chinese company is back with a new model dubbed the N3 to replace the N1 from last September. The iconic swivel camera at the top is here to stay, but this time we have a 16-megapixel f/2.2 module with Schneider optics, and it's motorised! It's actually much cooler than it sounds: You can quickly flip the camera with a flick gesture on the screen or on the fingerprint sensor on the back -- more on that later. In addition to that, the N3 comes with a new O-Click Bluetooth remote that not only acts as a remote trigger, but it also lets you adjust the camera's angle using the extra buttons.
BearExtender n3 grabs WiFi from afar
We've seen a few WiFi extenders in our day, but the BearExtender n3 has a few critical advantages over the rest: it's cheap, effective, and, uh, legal. The $45 external WiFi adapter for Macs was developed by Roland Saekow, a Berkeley grad who wanted access to the campus "Airbears" network from wherever he was -- and it seems to do the trick, as TUAW's informal testing revealed stronger signals and higher throughput when using the BearExtender over internal WiFI. Sure, it's a little bulky, but that just makes you look hardcore, right?
Ninety-Nine Nights 2 details arrive in short supply
Ninety-Nine Nights 2 (N3-2 from now on, dig?) is on the way, though we're certain few were asking for it, and the latest issue of Famitsu has revealed the first details. Siliconera says the feelplus-developed title now contains support for two players, and a photo of the article reveals a couple new characters in "Guren" and "Sefia" (at least, we think -- it's all in Japanese!). The title remains exclusive to the Xbox 360 and is expected to arrive later this year. These are the folks who worked on Lost Odyssey and Infinite Undiscovery after all -- what could possibly go wrong?
Cowon's N3 slips into a smoking jacket and Burl Walnut finish
Better get used to it 'cause wood emblazoned consumer electronics is a trend that's apparently here to stay. This time, it's Burl Walnut (not bamboo) on this N3 which Cowon puts up for sale in Korea on April 28th. We're not sure when deforestation become synonymous with ecological so we'll assume that Cowon's going for recyclability here and involved in some form of sustainable forest management program. Surely this isn't just some marketing ploy. The 2GB DMB with GPS device will cost you ???419,000 (about $437) -- a $20 premium over the standard 2GB N3. [Via Akihabara News]
Neonode planning revamped OS, totally new handsets
We've just gotten out of a meeting with Thomas Eriksson, co-founder and CTO of Neonode, and we've learned some very exciting information about the company's newest, as-yet-unannounced phones. We were shown designs of the mobile-maker's next lineup of devices, including an iPhone-esque model called "Earth" which has been confirmed for production (though Thomas insisted that some features and design would change, of course). The phone will feature a 2.9-inch, true 16:9 ratio infrared touchscreen (an updated version of the Neonode N2's touch surface), HSPA connectivity, and will operate on five separate frequency bands (a first as far as we can tell), allowing 3G use in both Europe and the US. However, the most interesting thing that we were shown was a live prototype of the company's latest OS, which blows the doors off of previous iterations. The new interface is a much more robust platform, featuring a homescreen made up of a number of small widget-like icons, all updating live with things like RSS feeds, phone logs, weather, and mail. The UI is still meant to be operated via one hand, though Thomas confirmed that the device would sport a virtual QWERTY keyboard, and would deliver more PIM / smartphone features than we've seen from them in the past. The design of the interface is still being tweaked, but it looks very contemporary to current and future phone OSs we've been seeing, with lots of nice shading and alpha layers. From the little we peeped, this platform could be a contender if handled correctly -- Thomas told us that Neonode had plans underway to partner with carriers in the US, so stay tuned to this space for more info.
Cowon's N3 player packs DMB, GPS, 7-inch touchscreen
Cowon has really been tossing out a lot of winners of late, and if this N3 is any indication, there seems to be no stopping the DAP manufacturer at this point. While the N3 doesn't look to be headed for US shores in the immediate future -- thanks to that pesky built-in DMB tuner -- it does seem to have all the codec goodies and design refinement of its older siblings. The player is a followup to the N2, with a 800 x 480 7-inch touchscreen, 600MHz Alchemy AU processor, dual SDHC slots (but no built-in memory), and GPS. Software is based on Windows CE 5.0. No word on price or release date, but hopefully we'll be finding out more next month at CES.
Target mixes up Crackdown and N3
Crackdown and Ninety-Nine Nights, while sharing a few fundamental mechanics -- i.e. leveling and combat -- are practically opposites. N3 is a linear action game set in a fantasy world. Crackdown is an open sandbox game set in a futuristic urban landscape. Ninety-Nine Nights received loads of hype, ranging from its epic Kurosawa inspired story, to its association with Lumines creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Upon its release, the game fell flat. Crackdown didn't receive much hype until late in its development cycle, although it too has a well known creator behind it (Dave Jones, creator of GTA). Crackdown's early reviews, so far, have been great. To sum up, Crackdown and Ninety-Nine Nights are, in fact, different games. It looks like someone forgot to inform Target, as their product page for Crackdown proudly displays the box art for Ninety-Nine Nights. Oops. We know it was an honest mistake, but this is actually the kind of thing that might make someone wary of pre-ordering from Target. Who knows, maybe they'll stick the box art for Grand Theft Auto IV on the product page for Halo 3. [Thanks, DjDATZ]
N3 demo is up, sample the mediocrity
Already victim to unimpressive reviews and sales in its homeland, Ninety-Nine Nights is about to hit American shores. Soon we will finally have a mindless slasher to compare with Dynasty Warriors 5 -- and Kurosawa fans may shudder when they learn that the game's "story" was inspired by Rashomon. But why wait for the full release when there's a demo up right now? Go forth loyal X360F readers and partake of this demo (available in all regions). Upon its completion return here and tell us what you think. Was it mindless fun, or just mindless?[Thanks, Julian Weisser]
Game box pr0n (or: Scary Pinatas)
Xboxic has posted a few box art shots for upcoming titles. The titles include Ninety-Nine Nights, Gears of War, Viva Piñata, and Crackdown. I know Gears of War is supposed to be filled to the brim with scary action, but somehow the Viva Piñata box frightens me more. Could piñatas be the new clowns?
99 Nights, 1 hard drive
If you don't have an HDD and you were looking forward to Ninety-Nine Nights, you'd better start saving. QJ reports that Ninety-Nine Nights, releasing this August in the US, will require a hard drive to play. At least that's the story according to Xbox.com. Personally, I find this a little suspect. Surely something like this would have been covered when the game released in Japan. Assuming it's true, without an HDD it's going to cost you at least $160 to play this. Ouch. Of course, you could just skip Ninety-Nine Nights entirely, because it's not supposed to be very good anyway. See an image of the Xbox.com product info after the break. [Via QJ]
New Ninety-Nine Nights trailer
N3 is only a few months away, but it's been a long time coming. It's hard not to get excited over such massive warfare and dizzying battles. If you're interested in checking out the new trailer for this 360 exclusive, head on over and pick your flavor (HD or SD).[EDIT: Make that a June release date. Thanks Johny!]
