Venue
Latest
Facebook's new Venue app is an interactive hub for live events
Facebook’s New Product Experimentation team has rolled out a new app called Venue, which aims to provide an interactive second-screen experience for live events. In a way, it’s like following live tweets by an expert.
Hyundai goes even smaller with the Venue crossover
Both the gas and electrified Hyundai Kona are great vehicles. But maybe it's just a tad too big for you? If that's the case, the automaker just unveiled the Hyundai Venue. An entry-level SUV with an odd name.
Blizzard's first eSports stadium opens for 'Overwatch'
Blizzard had a formative role shaping the strategy and MOBA titles that dominate eSports today. But the studio didn't really dive into competitive events until it started devoting floorspace to its own tournaments at BlizzCon 2009. Now the gaming titan is moving up from its annual weekend convention to open its first permanent competitive gaming space, a plush eSports arena fronted by a snack bar and memorabilia shop. And it'll be in Taipei.
Dell's new Venue 11 Pro tablet is thin and light enough to take on the Surface Pro 3
Nope, that's not a Surface Pro up there. But it's close. Dell just refreshed its 10.8-inch Venue 11 Pro tablet, and, much like Microsoft's slate, it's gone on a bit of a diet. Whereas the original Venue 11 Pro ran on a traditional, laptop-grade Core i5 processor, this one uses one of Intel's new Core M chips, which allows it to be much thinner and lighter -- and fanless, too. All told, it now comes in at 1.62 pounds and measures 0.42 inch thick -- not bad for what's essentially an 11-inch laptop replacement. (It's even slightly lighter than the Surface Pro 3, though to be fair, Microsoft's tablet also has a bigger screen.)
Dell's new stick lets you share your tablet's screen with bigger displays
If you happen to own one of Dell's Venue tablets, you now have an easy way to put its content on a bigger screen. Dell has just launched the Cast, a simple stick that lets you link your slate to any HDMI-equipped display. You can either mirror your screen directly (much like Chromecast) or use the larger panel as a makeshift desktop, including multiple web browser windows. Shades of Motorola's Webtop, anyone? The add-on is available now for $80, although you may need to be patient depending on your choice of platform. Only Android-based Venue tablets can use the Cast right away. You'll have to wait until later this year to pair it with Windows-based models like the Venue 8 Pro.
Dell adds two budget Android tablets to Venue lineup, prices start at $160
Dell's just announced two new Android models in its Venue lineup of tablets, and though the new Venue 7 and Venue 8 cost a bit more than their predecessors, they still top out at just $200. Don't expect any radical changes from the Venue Android tablets announced late last year; the biggest differences include processor updates and a step up to Android 4.4 KitKat.
Dell announces Venue 8 Pro and Venue 11 Pro Windows 8.1 tablets (hands-on)
Ever since Dell dropped the surprise announcement that it would revive its Venue brand, we've been looking forward to getting our hands on the company's new line of Windows 8.1 tablets. That time has come with today's launch of two devices: the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Venue 11 Pro. Their arrival confirms the end of Dell's dabble with Windows RT -- and the discontinuation of its XPS 10 tablet -- heralding a new "portfolio" of mobile devices that the company believes will meet the needs of enterprise customers. Do Dell's buttoned-down tablets offer more than the competition? Join us after the break for a closer look.
Dell revives Venue brand with new line of Windows 8 tablets
Dell dropped a surprise here at the Intel Developer Forum when Neil Hand, VP of tablets and performance PCs, announced that it's reviving its Venue brand with a new line of Windows 8 tablets. The company last used the branding almost a year ago with the less-than-successful Venue and Venue Pro handsets -- the Venue ran Android while the Venue Pro used Windows Phone 7. Hand was on stage during today's IDF keynote showing off what appears to be an 8-inch slate running the latest Windows 8.1 firmware on Intel's recently announced Atom Z3000 processor. Not much else was unveiled about the hardware, but Hand did drop a hint that it plans to host a Venue-specific event on October 2nd in New York City that will hopefully reveal more information.
GDC Next coming to LA in 2013
Game Developers Conference organizers have announced that this October's GDC Online will soon be replaced by a new event: GDC Next. The conference will debut alongside the newly created App Developers Conference (ADC) to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from November 5-7, 2013. GDC Next focuses on gaming development related to smartphones and tablets as well as social and cloud gaming. The new ADC is dedicated to app technology and development. Attendees will be able to sign up for the individual conferences or take advantage of a special price to attend both. More information can be found on the official sites.
Bing Venue Maps gets global-sized update, makes Euros' shopping trips easier
In case you thought all those 165TB of satellite shots would slow down the Bing Maps updates -- think again. And while this one might not be as loaded as the aforementioned goods, the latest refresh to Redmond's mapping service is likely to make at least a few shopaholic Europeans very happy. To make things short, Microsoft -- in partnership with Nokia -- is taking Bing Venue Maps over to the Vieux Continent, boosting the total number of mall-friendly maps to over 2,700, and making it more than 30 countries in which the offering's now live. For those unfamiliar with Venue Maps, the service allows you to find stores, bathrooms and even ATMs located within a good amount of shopping malls across North America, Europe and Asia. Even better, you can see if your favorite spot is one of them at the source link below, where you'll find the full list of venues supported.
Dell leaves its US phone plans blank after ending sales of the Venue and Venue Pro here
While Dell may still be releasing Streaks and Venues in other countries, a company spokesman tells PC World that its last remaining phone stateside, the Venue and Venue Pro are no longer on sale. While the short lifecycle of mobile products was cited in the pair's time with us drawing to a close, the lack of replacements means Dell is out of the smartphone game in this country less than two years after entering with the Aero and Streak 5. While the spokesperson confirmed Dell would introduce more mobile devices in the US later this year, they could not say whether or not phones would be among them. We're not sure what the reboot of its product lines will entail -- other than a lack of connection to departed section head Ron Garriques -- but at least it still has those Thunder, Smoke, Lightning and Flash names in their pocket whenever something new arrives.
Ticketmaster's interactive seat map brings Facebook stalking to concert venues
You desperately want to attend Katy Perry's raucous San Antonio concert, but your kid sister has absolutely zero interest in tagging along, and the mere thought of going stag strikes fear into your heart. All seems lost, but worry not -- because Ticketmaster and Facebook have just joined forces to create a new feature that weds concert-going with social networking. As of today, users purchasing tickets to select events can easily find out whether any of their Facebook friends are also attending and where they're seated. All you have to do is connect to Ticketmaster with your Facebook account, find your concert of choice and use the interactive venue map to tag your own seats, or to see those of online friends who've already tagged themselves. From there, you can buy tickets right next to your intended targets and act totally surprised when you bump into them at the show. For now, the feature is only available for 300 venues (encompassing some 9,000 events), but you can find more information in the video and press release after the break.
Duran Duran and Second Life, isn't that bizarre?
According to Tateru Nino at Dwell On It, Duran Duran had promised its presence in the world of Second Life back in 2006. Second Life residents were hungry like a wolf for more information, but the band was lost in a crowd. At long last, the band announced yesterday the launch of Duran Duran Universe, a new zone in Linden Lab's virtual world. Although there may be no dancing on the sand, community manager Crissy Welinder posted the official announcement to the Duran Duran website: "Duran Duran Universe is packed full of wonderful artistic treasures, interactive features, innovative multimedia and exciting events and games." Every part of the Second Life zone has been carefully selected by members of the band, and they hope it is one continuous party. For more information about Duran Duran Universe, don't twist through a dusty land, just visit the band's official website.
Dell Venue Pro getting a tune-up on May 18th? A chatty support rep thinks so, anyway.
Dell's Venue Pro recently arrived at AT&T for $99 with a two-year commitment, and while this troubled QWERTY slider has already embraced NoDo, a new OS simply wasn't enough to patch these cracks -- random crashes and WiFi woes continue to haunt users on a daily basis. Recently, a member of xda-developers shared their experience with Dell support, proclaiming the company is targeting May 18th for this much-needed firmware update. While follow-up communication with Round Rock have proven less fruitful (perhaps suggesting a rogue tech support agent), it has confirmed the update is a high priority and will be delivered following a successful rollout of the 7392 security update from Microsoft. Sure, you could just take the plunge and hope Dell's new firmware brings the cure, but given its track record here, you're probably wise to do a background check before hiring this as your next assistant. [Thanks, Dennis and Rob]
How would you change Dell's Venue?
Sure, it's lacking the Pro moniker, but it's also lacking a built-in keyboard. A fair trade, we suppose. Dell's Venue is actually nothing at all like the once-titled Lightning, boasting a slate-style form factor and Android 2.2 in place of Windows Phone 7. To this day, it remains one of the few unlocked phones available for sale in the US with support for AT&T's 3G bands, and for those who missed out on the Nexus One (or just opted for this for any number of other reasons), we're curious to see how your experience with the Thunder has been. Were you impressed / let down by the Stage UI? How'd you manage the heft? Would you have tweaked the build materials any? Opted for WP7 over Froyo? Kept the Thunder name? We're guessing that Dell's still squarely in the learning phase when it comes to handset making, so go ahead and get real honest in comments below. Honestly.
Dell Venue ready to order now for $500 unlocked, shipping February 18th
In classic Dell fashion, the company's most legitimately appealing Android handset yet has just gone up for sale with nary a peep marking its arrival. If you'll recall, the US announcement for the Venue wasn't exactly overloaded with facts and figures, we were basically told that it's coming, and hey, here it is now! A cent under $500 buys you an unlocked Android 2.2 device -- with either AT&T or T-Mobile 3G bands, your choice -- equipped with a 4.1-inch WVGA AMOLED display, an 8 megapixel camera, and some of the best looks on any smartphone yet. The preliminary shipping date we're seeing is February 18th, let's hope that's a much more concrete number than we've experienced with the Venue Pro, eh? [Thanks, Spiridon and Tanjot]
Dell Venue review
Yes, it's the Dell Venue, and no, you still can't buy one outside Hong Kong or South Korea just yet. All we can speculate is that this Android phone is facing the same manufacturing issues as its WP7 cousin, but hopefully we're wrong. Anyhow, what matters is that we've finally gotten our hands on a retail unit of the Snapdragon-packing Venue. So is it worth the wait for Androiders distanced from the Far East? And will this handset be the answer for our love-hate relationship with the Streak? Head on right past the break to find out. %Gallery-114817%
Dell Venue announced for the US, will be sold unlocked
We knew the Dell Venue was coming stateside, but now we know it. Dell has announced the phone for our fine country at its CES 2011 press conference, although it failed to mention a price, a release date, or anything else very helpful. Right now Dell doesn't have a carrier partner, so they're planning on selling the handset unlocked from Dell.com. Apparently they're flirting with the idea of a T-Mobile version, but the unlocked model won't have the T-Mobile 3G bands -- basically, it's an unlocked AT&T phone that AT&T hasn't blessed. Oh, and just in case you forgot the specs: WVGA 4.1-inch AMOLED screen, 8 megapixel camera, Android 2.2, and a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor. Got it? Good, now we wait.
Dell Venue launched in Hong Kong, we go hands-on
Isn't it fun when you hit the right place at the right time? We just happened to be chillaxing in Hong Kong when Dell chose the city for the Venue's global launch (and it's actually hitting the shops slightly ahead of South Korea), so a quick hands-on is inevitable. As we've seen previously, this HK$3,999 (US$514) handset is essentially the Venue Pro's Android 2.2 cousin, sporting the same curved (or "Shear Design") vibrant AMOLED display at 4.1 inches and 800 x 480, but missing the slide-out keyboard. Under the hood lies a 1GHz Snapdragon with 1GB ROM and 512MB RAM, along with the usual microSD expansion, 1400mAh battery, 8 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, Bluetooth 2.3 EDR, WiFi and AGPS. There aren't any surprises in terms of software -- the Venue shares the same snappy Stage UI and Swype keyboard with the Streak, except for the lack of landscape orientation for the homescreen (and that's with orientation enabled in system settings). As for hardware, the killer feature here is the screen, and we found its curved Gorilla Glass to be surprisingly nice for our thumbs while swiping across it. The AMOLED panel underneath is also vibrant with great viewing angles. Elsewhere, build quality is almost solid bar the squeaky battery door, but at least it provides some grip. That's all we got for now -- we'll delve into more details in our forthcoming review, so stay tuned. %Gallery-111900%
Dell Venue Thunders into Korea this month with Android 2.2 and 4.1-inch Gorilla Glass screen
Dell's keeping up its usual habit of sneaking devices out with today's announcement of the Dell Venue for launch in South Korea. Local carrier KT has revealed the details of this 4.1-inch Android 2.2 device (sans keyboard, unlike its WP7 cousin the Venue Pro), which is set to arrive by the end of this month at a price of 700,000KRW ($606). Formerly known by its codename of Thunder, this has actually been one of the most hotly anticipated Android handsets of the year, though the only other information confirmed by KT so far is that it'll have a curved Gorilla Glass screen. We're sure a US launch can't be far behind.
