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Nintendo faces Switch patent infringement investigation in the US
Nintendo is under investigation by the US International Trade Commission, and the fate of the Switch hangs in the balance. Gamevice, the company behind the Wikipad and a line of snap-on controllers for mobile devices, says the Nintendo Switch violates its patents on attachable handheld gamepads and their related accessories. Alleging violations of the Tariff Act of 1930, Gamevice is requesting a cease and desist order against Nintendo, a move that would halt imports of the Switch into the US.
Nintendo faces lawsuit over the Switch's detachable controllers
The Nintendo Switch certainly isn't the first gaming tablet, but is it directly riffing on others' ideas? Gamevice thinks so. The accessory maker is suing Nintendo for allegedly violating a patent for concepts used in the Wikipad, its gaming-oriented Android slate, as well as its namesake add-on controllers for phones and tablets. According to the suit, the Switch and its removable Joy-Con controllers are too close to Gamevice's vision of a combination of detachable game controller and a device with a "flexible bridge section." Not surprisingly, the lawsuit calls for both damages and a ban on Switch sales.
Apple drops price of Apple TV in Europe and other news for June 18, 2014
This afternoon we've got one gadget that keeps the kids fit, one that encourages them to sit and play games and finally, a price drop for the Apple TV. Onward! X-Doria introduces wireless activity and sleep tracker for kids. This is the first product of its type that we've seen directed at kids. This wearable sleep tracker is designed for young ones aged 5 - 13, and designs activity targets to keep them moving. The X-Doria looks like a fun, customizable way to keep kids active and motivated. Apple drops Apple TV price in much of Europe. Been holding out on Apple set top box? Now's your chance, Europe. The company has lowered the device's price from £20 to £79 in the UK, and from €10 to €99 in continental countries. Wikipad announces Gamevice controller for iPad mini. Well, look at this thing! Wikipad has announced an iOS game controller made specifically for the iPad mini. The add-on features forward-facing controls in the form of dual analog sticks, a D-pad and four face buttons. There are additional triggers underneath. Wikipad hopes to ship the Gamevice controller "later this year." Sign up to receive updates.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for June 17, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
The iPad mini finally gets its own MFi game controller
Wikipad, the company behind the Android gaming tablet of the same name, is tossing its Android exclusivity out the window with the announcement of a new iPad mini game controller accessory. The Wikipad 7, which debuted roughly a year ago, features a slide-on controller peripheral that many consider to be a healthy step up from most touchscreen control options, and now the company is bringing a similar product to iPad mini owners. Most iOS gamers -- or mobile gamers in general -- are probably not super familiar with Wikipad, as the company's Android tablet never really gained much traction. It suffered a long-delayed launch, multiple redesigns and changes that may have attributed to a general feeling of confusion surrounding what the device was capable of. With its iPad mini product, the company should hopefully be able to avoid those potholes as Apple has already taken care of the pesky "creating a great tablet" thing. The accessory, which doesn't have a price or release date yet, features a full compliment of face buttons, a d-pad, and two analog sticks, all of which are pretty standard at this point. According to Slide To Play, the current pre-release models consist of two halves connected by a flexible band that stretches behind the tablet itself, though with Wikipad's habit of redesigning its products after announcing them, that could change.
Wikipad drops from $250 to $200
Wikipad 7, the Android gaming tablet with attachable controller, now costs $200 in the US, down from its $250 launch price. So far, Best Buy offers the updated price, and other retailers are expected to follow suit soon, along with stores in other regions around the world. Wikipad 7 includes the Android Jelly Bean OS, 16GB memory with a slot to add 32GB more, and more than 250 games in the store (no, Wikipedia is not one of them). See a list of controller-supported games here. Wikipad launched in the US in June 2013, after a delay from October 2012. In February 2013, the Wikipad team dropped plans for a $500, 10-inch tablet to make the cheaper, 7-inch model on the market now. [Image: Wikipad]
Wikipad bringing universal tablet controller to Android, Windows 8
Android tablet manufacturer Wikipad is developing a snap-on controller peripheral for Android and Windows 8 tablet devices, VentureBeat reports. The Gamevice accessory, shown above, features two analog sticks, a d-pad, four face buttons, four shoulder buttons, and a pair of option buttons. The peripheral fits over a connected Android tablet, turning supported devices into gaming-capable controllers that roughly resemble the Wii U GamePad in form. The Wikipad gaming tablet launched last year, offering a 7-inch touch display surrounded by a custom-built, detachable controller interface. A release date for the Gamevice has not been announced.
Wikipad breaks off controls into mobile Gamevice gamepad
In its ongoing effort to announce products people may not want long before said products are available to buy, Wikipad today unveiled its Gamevice tablet game controller. The mockup above is an example of what the Gamevice might look like when we get our hands on it sometime later in 2014 -- it won't be at CES next week and it doesn't have a projected price or release window (other than this calendar year). Rather than focus on the larger tablet form factor, the Gamevice adapts the 7-inch Wikipad's controls for -- the company's hoping -- a variety of Android and Windows 8 devices. It sounds like iOS support is also in the works, but there's nothing officially confirmed just yet. Whether there's a market for Wikipad's Gamevice is another question altogether. There's no shortage of mobile gamepads out there, and it's not clear that Gamevice is any better than the competition. If anything, based on previous experience with the Wikipad's controls, we're a bit skeptical. The company also announced an OTA update for the 7-inch Wikipad that adds Jelly Bean 4.2 and mappable controls. It should be available today.
This week on gdgt: 3D televisions, Sonos Play:1 and the state of Nintendo
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks and discussions. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Wikipad gaming tablet coming to UK next month
7-inch Android gaming tablet Wikipad - nothing to do with Wikipedia - referenced the UK for a September 27 arrival, where it'll be available at a "number of well-known retailers." As Engadget reports, it launched in North America back in June at a revamped $250; Wikipad was originally intended to be a $500 10-inch tablet. As is often the case with UK imports, the tag of £250 converts closer to that original 10-inch price, coming in at $388. The Wikipad features a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 12-core Nvidia GPU and "true widescreen HD," a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB of storage with a micro SD for 32GB more, and HDMI out. Dual analog console-style controls can also be detached from the device.
Wikipad's 7-inch gaming tablet coming to the UK on September 27th for £250
Back when it announced the launch date for the US, Wikipad also said its 7-inch slate would become available in more markets soon thereafter. Fast forward to now and the company's announcing that its perplexed tablet is set to reach the United Kingdom on September 27th for £249.99 (roughly $390). Wikipad says the 7-inch, gaming-focused tablet will be found at a number of "well-known retailers" from day one, so UKers interested in snagging one of these should have no problem doing so.
Wikipad slated for June 11th US launch at $250, worldwide 'to follow this summer'
The 7-inch Android tablet with a game controller cradle -- the Wikipad -- launches in the United States on June 11th for $250, with a worldwide launch following later this summer. As for the initially announced 10.1-inch variation, that remains unclear -- it's not even mentioned in Wikipad's press release from today. The same can be said for Gaikai / PlayStation Cloud support, though it's possible we'll hear more when Sony's ready to unveil its streaming plans; Wikipad's in a weird place in that relationship, having worked with Gaikai on streaming ahead of Sony's purchase of the company. We've been repeatedly promised by Wikipad representatives that the functionality is still on the way. The device is perhaps the largest outside of Sony internal products to carry PlayStation Mobile support, which gives owners access to a variety of classic PlayStation titles (think Crash Bandicoot, Jet Moto). Of course, at $250, the Wikipad costs the same as Sony's own PlayStation Vita, which packs an arguably much nicer (though smaller) OLED screen and access to a much larger library of PlayStation games. The choice will be in consumers hands come June 11th.
Wikipad launches in US next week
The revamped 7-inch model of the Wikipad hits retail shelves on June 11 at a similarly revamped $249. After its delay on launch day back in October, plans for a $500 10-inch tablet were scrapped in favor of the smaller, less pricey version coming to US stores next week. UK and worldwide arrivals for the Android tablet are planned for this summer. Apart from those three inches, this Wikipad no longer includes a rear camera in addition to the 2 megapixel front-facing one. Otherwise, the smaller tablet features the same specs as before: a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 12 core Nvidia GPU and "true widescreen" HD screen, 16GB of storage with a micro SD for an additional 32GB, and HDMI out. Detachable console-like controls are still included and remain the same size as they were. The Wikipad will be available at launch at Best Buy, Walmart, and TigerDirect.com %Gallery-190294%
Wikipad's 7-inch gaming tablet flashes its insides at the FCC
The fussy perfectionists behind the Wikipad 7 may finally have a product they're prepared to sell. Now that the $250 7-inch gaming slate has been passed fit for consumption by the FCC, we imagine the device will hit shelves before the end of the company's self-imposed spring deadline. If however, you want to pass your time between finishing Arrested Development and the official launch date, check out the gallery of internal hardware shots we've posted below. %Gallery-189464%
The Daily Roundup for 04.02.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Hands-on with the smaller, less expensive 7-inch Wikipad (video)
When the Wikipad went from 10.1-inches to just 7-inches earlier this year, subsequently cutting its price in half alongside the size reduction, the gaming-centric Android tablet went from riskily priced potential failure to affordable item of interest in one swift move. $500 for a 10.1-inch tablet with a proprietary gaming controller peripheral? With a Tegra 3, no less? That already sounds outdated, and at $500, it sounds outright crazy. Though Wikipad promises a 10.-1-inch version is still in the works, the 7-incher is headed for retail in the coming weeks, with the aforementioned Tegra 3 quad-core SoC, a 1,280 x 800 IPS screen, Jellybean 4.1, and that enormous detachable game controller (12 buttons in all!). At last week's Game Developers Conference, we had a chance to check out the latest version of the Wikipad just ahead of its retail launch -- for more on that meeting, join us beyond the break.
Lemons to lemonade: how manufacturing and mechanical setbacks shrank the Wikipad
A smaller, cheaper gaming tablet? Wikipad President of sales Fraser Townley says it was always in the cards -- but it was supposed to be the company's second tablet, not its first. Business, of course, doesn't always go according to plan. Just before the Wikipad's planned October launch, the company stayed production to refine the product's gamepad element, Townley told us, addressing a technical hiccup that could have troubled customers. Not too long after that, the company's screen supplier told them the part they had hoped to use for the Wikipad's 10.1-inch display was being discontinued. Salt? Meet wound. Wikipad set out to make the best of a bad situation: it skipped a step. "The 7-inch was always in our roadmap and on our plan," Townley told us, "we just accelerated it." That decision was partly made to please the community, which was a little concerned about price. At $249, the new Wikipad is certainly easier on the pocket book, but the redesign delayed the product just long enough to leave it teetering on the edge of a new generation -- the next Tegra chip is right around the corner. Fortunately, so is another Wikipad -- Townley told us the tablet's original 10.1-inch form would be out by the end of the year. He couldn't say if the delayed slate would be using NVIDIA's latest, but he left the possibility wide open. "There would be no point in launching a Tegra 3 tablet just months before the launch of Tegra 4, would there?" he joked. "We'll keep up with the market." An admirable goal, to say the least.
Wikipad in miniature: 7-inch gaming tablet to debut in spring for $249, 10.1-inch sees further delay
When a company delays a product for "minor refinement," we typically expect to see small changes that contribute to a stronger overall product. That wasn't Wikipad's approach -- when it took its namesake gaming tablet into the lab for "minor" tweaks, it took a few inches off its screen size. The Wikipad is now a 7-inch tablet, slated to launch in spring for $249. It's smaller, the company says, but no less powerful -- it's keeping the Tegra 3 GPU the original build promised, not to mention 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 16GB of Flash memory, a 2-megapixel front facing camera and a 1,280 x 800 resolution display. Wikipad's President of sales, Fraser Townley, told us the gamepad design hasn't changed much either. "We took the pinball wizard approach," he said. "We made everybody in the room shut their eyes, and try the controllers. It's not about the look, it's about the feel. Once we got the feel right, then we could worry about the look. That's how the ten inch was born, and that's how the seven inch stayed the same." The attachment boasts new buttons (now labeled a, b, x and y) with a chrome finish, but seems otherwise unchanged. Wikipad is mum on specific availability, but we're told we can expect to hear more after Chinese New Year. As the 10.1-inch original design? It's still coming, but Townley couldn't it narrow it down further than "before Christmas." Read on for Wikipad's official press announcement, or click here to find out how the tablet was cut down to size.
Wikipad resurrected, shrunk down to 7-inch design
After missing its winter launch last year, the Wikipad – the Android tablet with detachable, console-style controls – is back. Rather than launching the $500 10-inch model as originally planned, Wikipad will first release a more affordable 7-inch model. Wikipad president of sales Fraser Townley tells Joystiq there was "an unforeseen flaw" in the original production run of the 10-inch model, which resulted in its delay last year. Townley wouldn't tell us exactly what the setback was, but he says the company took the opportunity to listen to its community and the decision was made to redesign the tablet.Townley notes "the overwhelming opinion that, although $500 was justifiable for what we were delivering, it was a tough one for a lot of the gamers," and so the 10-inch model was put on hold in favor of a smaller, cheaper device.The new 7-inch tablet will feature the same specs as the original Wikipad, including the quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 16GB of storage, micro SD for up to 32GB of additional storage, HDMI out and a "true widescreen HD display." And, of course, it still features the detachable controls, which are the same size as before, despite the tablet's smaller form factor. The new model no longer features a rear camera, though a front-facing camera is still available for things like video chat.The new Wikipad will launch this spring for $249, half the price of its big brother. Townley tells Joystiq that a 10-inch tablet is still in the works, and he hopes it will launch this year. Whenever it does, Wikipad promises it will have "the latest and greatest specs."
Wikipad gets chromed out buttons and Big Fish games, we go eyes-on
What's this? The Wikipad? At CES 2013? But we were told it wouldn't be here! As it turns out, the Wikipad is still kinda here, albeit with Big Fish Games. And wouldn't you know it, Big Fish games are now integrated into the $500 Android gaming tablet's launcher. Not only that, but the Wikipad's seen some visual updates since we last got our hands on it -- most notably are the chromed out buttons, which show up on all sides of the device. The controller piece is still removable, though it's unclear if the original specs still stand. Last we heard, the 10.1-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS screen sat out front of an NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, with 1GB of DDR2 RAM, all powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (at least initially). Either way, those new chromed out keys sure do add some spark, eh? Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.