North America -- Engadget

Nintendo DSi XL coming to America in Q1 2010

by Ross Miller posted Oct 29th 2009 at 8:04PM

Since Europe and Japan can't have all the fun -- unless, of course, it's a black Nintendo Wii -- the super-sized DSi XL is also due out in the US sometime in Q1 2010, according to a spokesperson speaking with Joystiq. Still no word on price, but we wouldn't be surprised if it parallel the slight markup for the ¥20,000 / US $221 Japanese version. Looks like that smaller-screen version isn't looking so hot for Grandma's Christmas present anymore.

Samsung develops first chip for US mobile digital TV transmission, provides no release date

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2009 at 9:33AM

Mmm, nothing like a pinch of predictability to wake us in the morning. Just days after the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) finally announced that a North American mobile DTV standard was struck, Samsung has jumped in with what it's calling the planet's first single chip solution designed to handle those very transmissions. All we're told is that the solution combines RF and "digital chip components" into one 65 nanometer chip, making it ideal for smaller devices such as smartphones, car-mounted televisions and portable media players. Of course, Sammy doesn't even bother to mention a mass production date, so we're guessing we all just rise awkwardly and start a roaring slow clap to celebrate the accomplishment.

Novatel Wireless launches MiFi 2372 with North American-loving, 3G WiFi goodness

by Laura June posted Jul 28th 2009 at 10:25AM

Novatel's just announced its North American-friendly MiFi 2372 router with GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSPA. The Mifi 2372 will offer 7.2Mbps HSDPA sharing for up to five connections via WiFi. If you recall, the European, 900/1900/2100MHz version launched back in June, so we're happy to see it make its way to our shores at long last. The 2372 also boasts a GPS receiver and microSD card slot, and while there's no word on pricing or definite date of availability, we can assume it'll be offered on subsidy from AT&T and Rogers, and we hope that happens soon. The full PR is after the break.

Continue reading Novatel Wireless launches MiFi 2372 with North American-loving, 3G WiFi goodness

Acer Aspire Timeline found in the wild, chilling in Canada and up for pre-order in UK

by Ross Miller posted May 25th 2009 at 6:59PM

Acer's been largely mum about its new Aspire Timeline laptop since its initial unveiling back in early April, but now it looks like the company's getting ready to roll out the portable to the customer base at large, if these spy shots from a from a Canadian-based Future Shop store are any indication. The list of specs is a bit hard to read, but from what we gather, the 14-inch Aspire 4810TZ-4129 is packing a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU2700, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, a DVD drive, WiFi, WAN, a touted 8 hour battery life, and Windows Vista Home Premium. No indication on the price or official street date, however, but if they're being sent to retail, we can't imagine we'll be waiting too much longer. Feast your own eyes on the specs sheet in the image after the break.

Update: Reader Oleg has written in to let us know it's also up for pre-order at UK retail site PC World -- 14-inch for £550 and 15.6-inch for £600.

[Thanks, waterboy99troop]

Continue reading Acer Aspire Timeline found in the wild, chilling in Canada and up for pre-order in UK

Nokia N97 NAM launching June 2nd?

by Ross Miller posted May 17th 2009 at 11:52PM

The Nokia Blog's got it on good authority that the Finnish phone maker's giving its North America distributors the heads up to expect the N97 to arrive on June 2nd for $699, although that price might end up lower. We've been hearing an expected June launch for some time, so it's definitely not out of the question. This does, however, serve as both an exciting and somewhat painful reminder that, should a couple other rumors pan out, June's gonna be a busy month for smartphones.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Navigon withdraws from GPS business in North America

by Darren Murph posted May 4th 2009 at 11:39AM

Man, talk about coming straight out of left field. After blowing it out at CeBIT just two months ago, Navigon has just announced its intentions to pull out of the navigation business here in North America. According to CEO Egon Minar: "Due to the difficult economic environment and the aggressive pricing we have decided to withdraw from the PND business in North America for the time being. We are however not closing down our Chicago office which will continue to serve our automotive and mobile phone businesses in North America." He did assert that the company would "continue to fulfill all obligations to its existing PND customers in terms of map updates, etc.," but nothing else on the subject was said. So long, Navigon -- we'll miss your "uber-premium" wares.

[Via SlashGear]

Nokia throws up "pre-order soon" logo on US N97, drives the kids crazy

by Darren Murph posted Apr 30th 2009 at 9:26AM

Thanks to the always revealing FCC, we knew good and well Nokia's painfully expensive N97 had Carolina (and probably the other states, to be fair) on its mind, but now we know the moment of truth is drawing near. As of right now, Nokia's US website has a teaser block informing us Yanks that we'll be able to pre-order this here smartphone "soon." Hitting the link only directs us the European legalese that we've digested before, but surely it'll lead to something meaningful in due time. Patience... it's a virtue.

[Via phoneArena]

Nintendo DSi now available in North America

by Ross Miller posted Apr 5th 2009 at 3:56PM

At long last, US and Canadian gamers can finally join their European and Japanese brethren in picking up Nintendo's latest portable, the DSi. Price of entry is $170 and if you're interested in a color more vibrant than blue and black, you'll probably be waiting a while. Anyone picking this up on day one?

Sony Ericsson's US president steps down

by Darren Murph posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 11:41AM

Quite honestly, we can't imagine now as being an awesome, jovial time to be heading up any division of Sony Ericsson. Thus, we're not too awfully shocked to hear that Najmi Jarwala, President of Sony Ericsson USA and Head of Region North America (comprising the US and Canada markets), has decided to leave his corner office at the end of March in order to "pursue other career opportunities." The announcement comes just a weekend after SE proclaimed that its Q1 sales were down some 50 percent, and with the outfit's somewhat lackluster showing at MWC (Idou notwithstanding), we can't imagine things magically turning around in the near future. At any rate, Anders Runevad (pictured), Executive VP and Head of Global Sales & Marketing will be taking over until a successor is named, and that's assuming anyone is willing to walk into such a severely precarious situation.

[Via MobileBurn]

HANNspree's 28-inch 1080p HT09 LCD HDTV comes to America for $500

by Darren Murph posted Nov 24th 2008 at 11:40AM

Just in time for brands like Vizio, Panasonic, ~~Sony~~ and Sanyo to undercut it on Black Friday, HANNspree has swooped in and delivered its bedroom-sized 1080p LCD HDTV to the great lands of North America. The set, which was made available a few months prior in the UK, claims to be the planet's first 28-inch "1080p" HDTV, with a native 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, two HDMI ports, a VGA socket, integrated ATSC / NTSC / Clear QAM tuner, 3-millisecond response time, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, stereo speakers (5-watts x 2), audio in / out ports and an Energy Star 3.0 sticker for good measure. Not too shabby for $499.99, and we'd count on finding it even cheaper given the current level of competition in the sector.

Nokia's N85 drops by the FCC, dips head, inquires about what's good

by Darren Murph posted Oct 31st 2008 at 9:17AM

Not that we ever (okay, maybe there was a moment of weakness in there somewhere) doubted that Nokia's N85 was North America-bound, but the handset dubbed superior to the flagship N96 by one Italian reviewer is indeed coming to US soil. And we've found the FCC documentation to prove it. At this point though, there's little the User Guide, external / internal photos and SAR report can tell us that we don't already know, so again, the takeaway here is that we're one (huge) step closer to having an N85 to call our own. Now that's what's up.

Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic to mature markets: see you in 2009

by Darren Murph posted Oct 6th 2008 at 3:19PM

The Foundations said it best in their 1968 classic, but seriously, why let us down like this? Nokia didn't mind busting out a litany of press shots and all the specifications one could need to get amped up about the 5800 XpressMusic, but it obviously has something holding it back from launching in "mature markets" before 2009. In an announcement that's just as disappointing to the suits in Espoo as it is to those in North America and Down Under (just to name a couple), we've now learned that the touchscreen-dominated handset will only be available in seven countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe before 2009 dawns. Even worse? Not knowing how deep into next year we'll have to wait for this thing here in the US of A. Catch our feelings spelled out in video form after the break.

Continue reading Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic to mature markets: see you in 2009

ClarionMiND MID re-introduced with Atom, optional 3G

by Darren Murph posted Sep 27th 2008 at 8:45AM

We haven't heard from Clarion since June, and as fate would have it, it was then when the company told us to expect a GPS-equipped MiND in the foreseeable future. Fast forward a few months, and here we have the formal (re)introduction of the ClarionMiND. Definitely dubbed a MID, this Atom-powered handheld is currently scheduled for release in US / Canada this November, while Europeans will have to wait until January 2009. Outside of the oh-so-fresh CPU, you'll find a 4.8-inch (800 x 480 resolution) display, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a SiRFstarIII GPS module and a rechargeable Li-ion good for two hours (four hours with the optional extended cell). You'll also get a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card slot and optional real-time traffic support. The just described "standard" model will demand $649.99; the way-more-delicious Premium version doesn't yet have a price, but it should be out next Spring with integrated 3G.

[Via Pocketables]

Pioneer to launch LCD HDTVs in North America next year

by Darren Murph posted Sep 17th 2008 at 5:29PM

On the whole, we'd say KURO plasma owners are pretty stoked about their sets. Those who'd prefer a KURO-branded LCD, however, have been waiting anxiously to hear something more from ole Pioneer for months. Thankfully, the firm has finally spoken, and while it doesn't mention any brand / model names specifically, we can assume that those LCD HDTVs we saw emerge in Europe will be gracing US shores in mere months. During the first half of 2009, Pioneer LCD HDTVs will be loosed in North America and Asia, and unless plans change, the panels within will actually be supplied by Sharp. Might we be on the lookout for a sneak peek at CES '09?

Sony's SOCOM PS3 Bluetooth headset priced, detailed for North America

by Darren Murph posted Sep 4th 2008 at 5:42AM

We know, we know -- you already know most everything there is to know about Sony's SOCOM PS3 Bluetooth headset, but up until now, the most important tidbit has remained a mystery. The device will be launching this fall as part of the SOCOM: Confrontation bundle for $59.99, or if you just loathe the whole SOCOM series, you can pick it up all by its lonesome for $49.99. Tough call, huh?