2011
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Engadget's back to school 2011 sweepstakes: we're giving away $3,000 worth of gear... 15 times!
Back when many of us were gearing up to go back to school, the shopping list was filled with notebooks (the kind without a battery), pens (read: not a stylus), and a few dozen pencils (old-school #2s that required manual sharpening). Maybe, just maybe, we would have a new graphing calculator to look forward to, but if we ever saw 'smart' and 'phone' in the same sentence, it was probably in a handwritten note from mom begging us to stop making long-distance calls on the landline. Now, back to school means picking up extra shifts at work to pay for new computers, cameras, smartphones, e-readers, and tablets -- not to mention those still-sky-high prices publishers are commanding for textbooks at the college store. We want to relieve some of that burden -- for a few of you, at least. This year, we've partnered with top manufacturers in nearly every category to bring you one epic giveaway, complete with all of the products we mentioned above, plus a whole lot more! Lucky winners will receive an Engadget-branded messenger bag, overflowing with the latest tech gear. Jump past the break for the full rundown of prizes, along with instructions for entering our back to school giveaway.
Sprint posts Q2 2011 earnings: net subs up, contract subs down, net loss of $847 million
It's another mixed bag worth of earnings for the folks in Overland Park. Sprint just announced its Q2 2011 earnings prior to the market's open today, and while it's obviously doing its darnedest to paint a rosy picture, the raw numbers show a somewhat different backdrop. Despite having its third consecutive quarter of adding more than one million total net new wireless subscribers, the vast majority of those are coming from the (admittedly less lucrative) prepaid side. In fact, the company lost 101,000 postpaid subscribers in the period, and we're guessing that the one-two punch of WiMAX hitting the expansion skids while VZW built out LTE at a breakneck pace didn't help matters. 674,000 prepaid subs were added to the mix (through Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc. arms), and despite seeing quarterly sequential and year-over-year growth in wireless service revenue, the carrier still reported a net loss of $847 million. In a way, it's the same story on a different day for The Now Network, and while the just-announced LightSquared partnership may end up bolstering things in time, it'll take something a bit more jarring to turn things around by Q3. Or Q4... right, Dan?
Ubisoft Q1 sales down 36 percent from last year
The latest Ubisoft financial report for the first quarter of its 2012 fiscal year is a tough pill to swallow for everyone who loved Q Entertainment's stunning rhythm-shooter, Child of Eden. The company's sales for the quarter reached €103 million, a decline of 36.3% from the €161 million reported during the same period during FY 2011. The quarter wasn't a total wash -- sales actually exceeded Ubisoft's expectations of €90 million thanks to strong back-catalog sales (thanks, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood!), successful digital titles like Outland and Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, and the massive worldwide sales of Michael Jackson: The Experience. Still, in a perfect world, Ubisoft's financial report would just show the logo for Child of Eden, then a picture of Tetsuya Mizuguchi rolling around in an Olympic swimming pool filled with hundred-dollar bills.
IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011
Whether you believe we're living in a post-PC world or not, there's no denying the overwhelming growth of tablets in the past few years. Just this March, IDC put out figures saying 2010 saw the sale of 18 million tablets, but despite the recent boom, the outfit's now reporting a 28 percent drop in tablet shipments in Q1 2011, bringing first quarter worldwide shipments to 7.2 million. IDC's latest report points to "slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions, and supply-chain constraint," but nonetheless estimates that total tablet sales will reach 53.5 million by year's end, up from IDC's original estimate of 50.4 million. Once again, Apple's come out on top of the slate game, with the iPad 2 leading the market, despite its own dip in shipments. E-readers have apparently also seen a decline in the first quarter, with shipments dipping to 3.3 million units. Despite a slow start to the year, however, IDC's optimistic about future sales, but you don't have to take our word for it -- full PR awaits you after the break.
Analyst ups AAPL on strong projected iPad, iPhone sales
Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley remains bullish on Apple pointing to strong iPhone and iPad sales in June. He's so confident in Apple that he boosted his iPhone sales estimate from 75.5 million million to 77.3 million in 2011. He also predicts Apple will sell a whopping 100.2 million iPhones and 55.1 million iPads in 2012. As others have said before him, Walkley notes that Apple will continue to lead both the tablet and smartphone market. So what does these numbers mean for the average joe? More iPhones and iPads in circulation, greater incentive for developers to jump into the iOS ecosystem and extra cash for Apple to pump into research and development for the next generation iOS devices. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Leaf sales outpacing the Volt, winning the fight for American garage space
According to Automobile, Nissan is winning the race to put the most electric cars in American driveways, selling 3,875 Leafs in the first six months of 2011, while Chevy only managed to put 2,754 Volt keys in the hands of consumers. This is despite Nissan suffering a month long manufacturing setback following the tsunami that struck in March. Chevy has had its own delays, having closed the Volt plant five weeks ago for upgrades that will allow it to pump out more vehicles. Lets not forget though, the Leaf starts at about $8,000 less than its American made competitor and, when it comes to weaning us off gas and putting us behind the wheel of tech-packed cars -- there's no shame in being number two. Perhaps GM will have better luck with that cheaper, shorter range version it's been contemplating.
HTC does the whole record profit thing again for Q2
Another day, another record profit from the folks at HTC. Surely even the Taiwanese handset manufacturer must be bored of reporting this endless stream of good news, right? Yeah, probably not. The company happily announced this week an impressive second quarter net income of NT$17.5 billion ($608 million), more than double what it reported for the same time period the year prior. Overall revenue for the quarter hit NT$124.4 billion, thanks to the ever-present demand for Android handsets. And revenue from the company is expected to keep on growing in Q3 -- maybe boredom isn't so bad after all.
MacBook in short supply, stirs rumors of imminent refresh, rebirth of white plastic?
We've already seen the MacBook Pro sporting new specs, and heard rumblings of a MacBook Air refresh coming soon, and now reports of dwindling supplies of Apple's great white hope have the internets abuzz over a possible MacBook upgrade. AppleInsider did a little digging earlier today, and found that major online retailers, including Amazon, and at least one brick and mortar store were either running low or completely out of the last of the MacBooks. A similar fate has befallen stock of the Mac mini, inviting speculation that both machines will likely pop up post-Lion. We suppose there's also a possibility that Apple's ready to send the old workhorse to the glue factory, but we'd prefer a happy ending.
US Cellular teases 2H 2011 smartphone lineup, brings WP7 and tablets into fold
It's a treat when we get a sneak peek at upcoming devices, but we consider it a feast when carriers unload their entire roadmap en masse. US Cellular indulged us with its smartphone lineup for the entire second half of the year, and we have to say -- your choices this holiday season are looking mighty fine. It's lengthy, so you'd better grab a cup o' Joe before proceeding. Starting off the laundry list, the carrier announced it's launching its first Windows Phone in an HTC flavor sometime this summer. Of the seven Android handsets coming to market this fall, a whole 100 percent of them will run Gingerbread: one is a Motorola dual-core 1GHz phone with 4.3-inch screen, another is an LG with "ultra-bright LCD display" (Nova?), and Samsung and Huawei will offer entry-level phones. Throw in a couple HTC models and there's just one still unaccounted for -- the company's first LTE-enabled smartphone, slated for release in November. Now top it all off with an HTC 7-inch slate alongside another mystery tablet, and you have a plethora of choices come time for Black Friday. Mind = blown? Scroll past the break for a press release that might put it back together into one piece again.
Trials Evolution revs up for another round on XBLA
Considering the embarrassing regularity and bone-smashing severity with which the riders are ejected from their motorcycles, Trials might as well have been called ExitBike. The tricky test of speed, momentum and balance is set to return to Xbox Live Arcade this year with Trials Evolution, a sequel to two-million seller Trials HD. Finnish developer Redlynx claims that it took its time in "carefully planning and developing" the follow-up before making today's announcement. "We listened carefully to all the feedback we received from the previous game and added it to our own vision of what the ultimate Trials game could be, coming up with a gamer's wish list of must-play features," said creative director Antti Ilvessuo. Judging by the teaser trailer posted after the break, it seems gamers no longer want to be alone in leaning just a little too far over the handle bars. %Gallery-125596%
Fisker Karma delayed again, but only by a tiny little bit
Yes, that's a Fisker Karma at the Monaco Grand Prix starting line, but no, it won't be taking off just yet, at least not this month. Last we heard from Roger Ormisher, Fisker Automotive's Communications chief, the electric supercar was set to debut in the US during the June / July timeframe, but that's now been nudged that extra bit later, with "the first" dealer demonstration vehicles and customer orders landing firmly in July. So, you'll have to keep stashing that $95,900 under your mattress for a little while longer, but look on the bright side: Fisker's delays are getting shorter all the time!
Additional BlizzCon 2011 benefit dinner tickets on sale June 8
Missed your shot at getting tickets to the BlizzCon 2011 benefit dinner for the Children's Hospital of Orange County? You're in luck! Blizzard has just announced that another batch of benefit tickets will be going on sale June 8 at 7 p.m. Pacific, 10 p.m. Eastern. The BlizzCon benefit dinner is an annual event and fundraiser for the Children's Hospital of Orange County where you, the Blizzard fan, get to have a great meal, chat up Blizzard luminaries, developers, artists, executives, and more, all to benefit a good cause. The event happens the Thursday night before BlizzCon. Benefit dinner tickets cost $500 USD per ticket and include access to the benefit dinner, a ticket to BlizzCon, and more. Check out the BlizzCon ticket sales page for updates and the BlizzCon benefit dinner FAQ. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- the people I know who have attended this benefit dinner say it's a once-in-a-lifetime awesome thing to be at and be a part of. Blizzard knows how to rock a benefit dinner.
BlizzCon benefit dinner tickets on sale tomorrow
Blizzard's annual charity dinner benefiting the Children's Hospital of Orange County happens in tandem with BlizzCon, the festival for all things Blizzard. This special benefit dinner, hosted at the Anaheim Hilton hotel, is limited to about 200 tickets and includes dinner with various Blizzard developers, artists, executives, and people from various levels of corporate life, as well as a signed Blizzard print and a ticket to BlizzCon, goodie bag included. Each benefit ticket costs $500 and is limited to two per household. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. Eastern). The ticket proceeds go to a wonderful cause, so if you love Blizzard and love helping people, this event is a great way to have fun while giving to a good cause. Also, from the people who I know who have gone to the benefit dinner in the past, everyone says it is an amazing and joyous time.
Second batch of BlizzCon tickets on sale Wednesday, May 25
Here's a quick reminder for everyone trying for BlizzCon 2011 tickets again -- the second batch of tickets is going on sale Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. Pacific, 10 p.m. Eastern. The first batch of tickets sold out in seconds -- but unlike other years, not many problems were reported, and things went surprisingly smoothly. To purchase tickets, you'll need to go to Blizzard's BlizzCon tickets page. This is the page you are going to want to refresh constantly in order to purchase passes. Tickets sell out in literally seconds, so be quick with refreshing and clicking purchase. Once you click purchase, you'll be placed into a queue where you will wait for your chance to purchase tickets. If you are one of the lucky few, you'll be brought immediately to the purchase page. Tickets cost $175 each and are limited to four tickets per household/address. Here are some tips when attempting to purchase BlizzCon tickets: Log into your Battle.net account prior to going to the ticket page. The ticket queue will reach critical mass in seconds -- you need to refresh quickly and often. Start refreshing prior to the exact moment tickets go on sale. Everyone's clocks are different. Also, remember that the ticket information for each ticket you bought needs to be filled out and completed by June 10 at 8 p.m. Pacific time. If you need to change the information later than that date, check the BlizzCon tickets badge information page.
Sony estimates $3.2b loss this year, $171 million cost for PSN breach
It has not been a good year for Sony, which was affected both by the massive earthquake in March and the PSN outage that spanned from April into May. There couldn't be any doubt that those things would have a drastic impact on the company's bottom-line, and it's now taking the time to give investors an idea of just how big an impact that could be -- even though the financial issues lie largely elsewhere. Sony is set to announce its full financial report for its fiscal year this Thursday and, to soften the blow, estimates have been revised steeply downward. Previously Sony predicted a ¥70 billion ($855 million) profit, but now thinks a ¥260 billion ($3.14 billion) loss is rather more accurate -- a ¥360 billion non-cash charge taking the wind out of ¥200 billion in operating income. The earthquake was directly blamed for a loss of ¥22 billion, but that figure could certainly grow as this estimate is only through the end of March. Additionally, Sony has provided a early guess of a ¥14 billion (about $172 million) total cost for the PSN breach. That's less than two bucks per exposed account, but again we wouldn't be surprised if it's a figure that increases through the year. You know, once the lawyers start having their fun.
ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us 'pad or phone?'
Oh ASUS, what are you up to now? The company that brought us the wildly popular Eee Pad Transformer has another new tablet brewing in its design labs, which we're promised we'll get to witness for the first time at Computex 2011. Until then, we've been provided with a trio of images to pore over and get the guessing games going. The slate device, whose size and software remain unspecified, is said to feature a bump (above left) and a clip (above right), though there are no explanations given about the function of either. You may see both images in their full size after the break, along with a teaser image from ASUS' Facebook page with the slogan "break the rules: pad or phone?" stood in front of a tablet silhouette. That provides plenty of clues for aspiring Sherlocks out there, but little concrete knowledge. Ah well, Computex is just a week away.
Maker Faire 2011, in pictures: Arduinos, Androids, and angry robots (video)
The rapture has come and gone, but the Maker Faire powers on. Despite warnings of a May 21st doomsday, folks came out in droves for the annual celebration of all things DIY, and we were there to bring you the best in homespun inventions. This year's Maker Faire was light on robots and big on corporate sponsorship. Among the giants supporting the little guys were Google, ASUS, and HP, but El Goog's presence extended beyond its dedicated tents. The new Android ADK was big with at-home tinkerers this year, spawning a number of little robots and at least one DIY alternative. Perhaps no other trend proved more pervasive than 3D printing, however -- every time we turned around there was another MakerBot or RapMan pumping out everything from statuettes of attendees to cutesy salt shakers. There were robotic building blocks, a Heineken-themed R2-D2, DIY drones, custom keyboards, and a ton of repurposed gadgets, but it was an arena of destructo-bots, tucked away in the farthest corner of the San Mateo County Event Center, that really blew us away. We came away sunburned and bedraggled, but lucky for you, we did all the dirty work so you don't have to. To see what made this year's Maker Faire, hop on past the break for a video of our favorite DIY finds. %Gallery-124165% Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
BlizzCon 2011: Round one of ticket sales are sold out
The first round of tickets for BlizzCon 2011 is sold out. Would-be convention-goers snagged up the tickets quickly, as predicted, and queues reached into the 12,000-15,000 range. BlizzCon tickets will go on sale once more on Wednesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. PST (10 p.m. EST). Here are some fun BlizzCon ticket facts: Based on queue positions when tickets sold out, likely less than 4,000 total transactions were completed. The WoW Insider staff all clicked to buy our tickets at nearly the exact same second. Some of us didn't get a queue. Others ended up 13,000 deep. Whether or not you're getting a BlizzCon ticket today was a matter of one single second. Did you get the number of tickets you needed? Are you ready for BlizzCon? I got my tickets, and cannot wait to see everyone in October at the annual WoW Insider reader meetup party.
Google adding Netflix, Hulu support, offline Gmail, Calendar and Docs to Chrome OS this summer, prices hardware at $20 per month
Google's currently in the process of detailing Chrome OS' latest improvements and there are a couple of big 'uns: Netflix and Hulu support will be available right out of the box for the pair of new Chromebooks -- one from Samsung and one from Acer. An improved file manager has also been added to the upcoming version of Chrome OS, plus offline versions of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs -- all will be made available for Chromebook users this summer. You can learn more about these improvements in the video after the break. Far more monumental, Google's also just announced the cost of these Chromebooks and there's no upfront payment to speak of. Instead, Chrome OS laptops will be distributed on the basis of a recurring monthly subscription, which will cost $28 per user for businesses and $20 per user for schools. That includes regular software and hardware upgrades. Hardware as a service, folks! %Gallery-123369%
Google teases Samsung-built Chromebox, desktop version of Chrome OS
In among all the hard news of today's second Google I/O keynote, we were treated to a tease of a Google Chrome OS nettop, which to our ears sounded like it was called a Chromebox. What we've no doubt about is that Google is planning a desktop version of its web-centric OS, which -- together with that Samsung-branded computer above -- is going to be showing up at some point in our collective future. Light on details, but rich on intrigue, just the way we like it.
