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EA's Crysis Warhead PC can, uh, play Crysis
Looks like EA's about to cash in on all that "can it run Crysis" chatter -- Crysis Warhead will be accompanied by the launch of a $699 Ultra-built gaming tower that should manage a consistent 30fps. Crytek has been testing on the so-called "Warhead PC" since early on the dev process, tweaking the engine to make sure the game ran well on the 2.66GHz E7300 Core 2 Duo, 512MB GeForce 9800GT and 2GB of RAM-- the rule was "if it sucks on this, the whole thing sucks" -- and it apparently cranks out consistently solid framerates at high quality settings. No word on an exact release date, but for $699 it's not a bad deal -- and hey, it plays Crysis.[Via CNET]Read - Article on Warhead PC's developmentRead - Tiger Direct info page
Slightly revised release dates for Wii Wario, DS Kirby
As part of a massive data dump accompanying their E3 2008 press conference, Nintendo has announced some slight adjustment to the previously announced release dates for Wario Land: Shake It! and Kirby Super Star Ultra. Both games are now listed for release on Monday, Sept. 22, a bump up form the originally planned release dates later in the week. On the plus side, now you'll be able to get your hands on the games earlier. On the downside, now you have less time to save up enough dough to blow. Drag!
Ultra sues just about every other modular power supply manufacturer
Ultra Products, Inc. is trying its hand at that most glorious of corporate traditions: suing the pants off one's competition. The maker of computer components is taking 22 -- yes, twenty two! -- of their competitors to court, claiming to have a patent for modular power supplies since November of 2006. Ultra says they sent several warnings to the companies about the violations and is asking for the legal maximum of three times the damages. The suit actually doesn't accuse the companies of violating the patent, but of being an accomplice to end users who are violating the patent. Oh, and unless we're missing something here, Hewlett Packard filed a modular power supply patent in 2000 -- we certainly recall Screen Savers covering the devices way back in '99.[Thanks, Mack]
Ultra SpaceStation 6 offers up 12GB flash drive six pack
Apparently catering to the few folks out there that feel they have too few USB flash drives, Ultra Products recently let loose this so-called SpaceStation 6, which comes with no less than six tiny thumb drives that can be neatly concealed and used as the mood strikes. Of course, there's no hub action going on here -- which would be convenient -- and the slots likely won't play nice with your current stash of flash drives. If you're still interested, however, you can grab either a 12GB version (consisting of six 2GB drives) or a 6GB version (with six 1GB drives) right now for $90 or $60, respectively.[Via Coolest Gadgets]
Samsung's HSDPA-equipped G810 slider gets official
Maybe it's just us, but the image pictured above sure looks a helluva lot sexier than the blurry depiction we saw of Samsung's G810 just last week. Along with just about everyone else in the mobile world, Samsung is making its striking do-it-all slider official at Mobile World Congress, and it's packin' quite the specs list. We're talking HSDPA, a 5-megapixel camera with face detection, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and image stabilization, a 2.6-inch QVGA display, built-in GPS / WiFi, a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and a 12.9-millimeter-thick frame. All that's for sure is a March 2008 release for those in Europe, but word on the street pegs it right around €580 ($840).
SanDisk pushes SDHC to 32GB
The bits, they just keep coming -- now that 16GB SDHC cards are old hat, SanDisk's gone and upped the ante with these new 32GB cards. That matches Toshiba's record, but you won't be able to get your hands on one until April, when they ship for $349. A 16GB version and a new 8GB Ultra II SDHC Plus with flip-out USB connecter will also hit in March for $179 and $99, respectively -- but you know you want the big'un, don't lie.
Hands-on with the Samsung SGH-U100 Ultra Edition II
A heck of a lot of phones pass through our grubby hands in the course of an average week, so it usually takes something of a minor miracle to get a rise out of us with a new handset. Well, Samsung, ya did it -- your crazy U100 is positively the most ridiculous feat of phone manufacturing we've seen to date. It's hard to accurately express with words or even pictures just how thin this thing feels in the hand. Whether that's a good thing, well... we reckon that's a matter of personal taste, but needless to say, we don't think this one would survive even a single smashing or bending unscathed (as one observer astutely noted, "this is a purse phone, not a pocket phone"). Despite its minimal girth, the Ultra Edition 5.9 sacrifices virtually nothing, offering A2DP, 80MB of onboard storage (no expansion slot, sadly), a 3.2 megapixel cam, and even TV out. The tri-band radio is a bit of a bummer, but we still found ourselves rocking out with four or five bars of signal strength virtually everywhere we went. Color us impressed!A special thanks goes out to Wireless Imports for the hookup on this one!%Gallery-5026%
Grab your wallets, Samsung A717 now on AT&T's site
It's just a formality in light of the recent announcement, but we thought we'd send out a friendly reminder to everyone that the lovely A717 from Samsung is now available for purchase directly from AT&T. The $150 on-contract price buys you a flip weighing in at just 12.9mm thick with a 2 megapixel cam, stereo Bluetooth, microSD expansion, and HSDPA data (Video Share support is apparently "coming soon"). Needless to say, we've pushed the SYNC out of our minds completely.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Samsung brings joy of U600 to CDMA world
Having recently toyed around with a SGH-U600 Ultra II, we can say with confidence that Samsung's gorgeous, high-style, high-function slider is a fabulous reason for the world's CDMA faithful to shed a tear -- or it was a fabulous reason, anyway, for the short time that it was a GSM exclusive. Enter the SCH-C220, SPH-C2200, and SPH-C2250, models for three of Korea's carriers that gladly trade in the U600's radio for CDMA with EV-DO. The cam gets busted down to 2 megapixels from 3.2, but in exchange, you get integrated GPS (a fair trade, we reckon). Other features include 96MB of internal storage, the requisite microSD expansion, and a QVGA display, all packed into a 10.9mm shell decidedly reminiscent of its GSM forebear. If you happen to be in Korea, pick this one up soon for around 500,000 won (about $540).
Super Hi-Vision creeps towards reality with latest breakthrough
Because 1080p and even Quad HD just aren't high-def enough, Japanese broadcaster NHK has announced new breakthoughs in it's Super Hi-Vision (formerly Ultra High Definition Video) technology. They've been showing it off periodically for the last several years, but the latest step towards living rooms is a single image sensor that for TV cameras that is capable of full SHV (7,680 x 4,320) resolution. Previous prototypes were limited to half that resolution, but now they're focusing on shrinking the equipment necessary to encode/decode the uncompressed 24Gbps SHV stream to 124Mbps from its current to fit in broadcaster headends and UHDTVs near you. While those pixels are nothing to sneeze at, we're still trying to figure out where to get speakers for the planned 22.2 channel audio.
Samsung's SCH-B640 "Ultra Mobile TV"
In multimedia terms, what in tarnation is the F500 Ultra Video lacking? Ooh, that's right: live television. Enter the SCH-B640 "Ultra Mobile TV," a device that shares most of the F500's physical attributes but adds in a little S-DMB action for pulling down the satellite feeds South Koreans so enviably receive. Like the F500, the B640 gets a 2 megapixel cam, a self-supporting swivel stand, and the nifty dual-personality concept with a dedicated phone on one side and multimedia features on the other. Though S-DMB wouldn't work in these parts, the B640 is a CDMA device -- any chance Verizon wants to pick up a MediaFLO version of this to rock the UpStage's world?
Samsung readies Yahoo-ready Ultra Edition II handsets
Samsung's Ultra Edition II lineup is about to receive a Yahoo-approved makeover, as the firm has reportedly decided to install Yahoo! Ready on the 10.9 (SGH-U600) slider to begin with, with the Ultra Edition 9.6 and Ultra Edition 5.9 to get internally branded soon after. Essentially, users can expect "enhanced web-searching along with quick access to Yahoo Mail, Messenger, Address Book and Calendar services while on the go." Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen Yahoo widgets on a cellphone, and it seems like Samsung's lagging a bit behind Motorola's decision to pull this same stunt months ago, but if you just can't wait to get your hands on a Yahoo-stamped handset, the 10.9 should hit France before too long, while the 9.6 and 5.9 will launch in May. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
Hands-on (again) with the ultra-everything Samsung F700
Yes, we just recently brought you a bunch of live shots of the F700 from the CeBIT show floor, but when it comes to a device of this caliber, let's be honest: one good gallery deserves another. These ones come from CTIA; after being given a few brief moments to play with it, we really can't emphasize enough just how flippin' small it is. When we initially saw Samsung's press shots of the device, we got the impression that its dimensions were generous enough to put it head to head with a Hermes or equivalent -- and to be fair, with HSUPA, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, slide-out QWERTY and a 5 megapixel sensor, that's a reasonable impression to have -- but in reality, the F700 is seriously no bigger than a large candybar dumbphone. We don't want to rag on it too much since we haven't played with a functional device yet, but one potential downside is the keyboard -- the small space bar lies squarely in the middle of the bottom row of letter keys and has its top row placed a little too close to the bottom edge of the device's top half. Unfortunately, the unit we spent time with had no operating system loaded, but the hardware was so gorgeous that we almost -- almost -- didn't care. Hands-on with the ultra-everything Samsung F700
Hands-on with Samsung's slick, sliding glory, the F700
More Ultra Smart love was on parade for us today and it came in the form of the glorious SGH-F700 from Samsung. Many things immediately stand out when playing with this device -- but first and foremost, it's a stunner. The rear of the phone is made with a glossy material that is reflective, like plastic chrome (think Sony Ericsson Z610i, then scale up the beauty) that really bumps this already classy device up a few notches. The F700 is a tri-band device with 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz GSM, EDGE, and HSDPA. It is definitely worth noting that the F700's HSDPA is the 7.2Mbps variety; no word on 3G frequencies, but we are all praying for some North American salvation. The screen is huge, taking up 2.78 inches of the touchscreen face (yes, it has that too), which is almost all of the front surface. The 440X220 resolution is ideal for mini-widescreening your favorite flicks using the native support for MPEG4, H.263, H.264, and real video. A quick slide and the bottom half hops out to reveal a pretty tight, but ultimately useful keyboard. The F700 seems to cover it all, follow the link to see some pics, we even popped a TyTn down for some comparative magic. Ooh! Samsung slider
Sprint launches Samsung m620 teaser site (we think)
We think we've got a pretty good -- nay, perfect -- idea of what this is, but Sprint's doing its darndest to keep us all guessing about its upcoming handset that's "redefining flip." We can't really say we blame them; Samsung's curiuous two-sided musicphone is pretty innovative even on a bad day, and it's likely in Sprint's best interest to ride the hype for everything it's worth here. Anyway, the latest marketing antic has us looking at an official countdown to the Samsung "Flipper" m620's reveal at CTIA (at least, that's our best guess as to what's going on here) toward the end of this month -- a phone Sprint promises will offer "a perfect trifecta of voice, music, and unique, stylish form-factor." Their words, not ours, but if the buzz the m620's GSM cousin has been generating translates well to the CDMA version, they may not be too far off the mark.[Thanks, tuolumne]
Samsung's Ultra Edition II series loosed at 3GSM: U300, U600, U100, and U700
What better way to kick off 3GSM than with a shotgun blast of second generation Samsung Ultra Editions. Don't worry, it won't hurt... much, these are Ultra IIs which means they're ultra slim. All the phones start with tri-band GSM, Bluetooth, and that new 3 megapixel shooter we've been expecting. The thinster of the bunch is of course the "world's thinnest" 5.9-mm U100 candybar we've already seen. Next up is 9.6-mm U300 clamshell which packs a 2.2-inch, 240 x 320 TFT internal display (98 x 16 OLED external) and 70MB of on-board storage. Bumping things up by a millimeter comes what Samsung calls the "crown jewel" of the pack, the 10.9-mm U600 slider (pictured second from the left). It ships in sapphire blue, garnet red, platinum metal and copper gold. Get it, "crown jewel!" Uh hem. The U600 comes brandishing a fourth band, a 3.1 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch 240 x 320 TFT display, Bluetooth 2.0, and 60MB of on-board storage with microSD expansion. Last up is the 12.1-mm U700 3G slider (far right) whose biggest claim to fame is 3.6Mbps HSDPA data and microSD expansion. All are expected to hit Europe before March with some hope of that quad-band U600 coming Stateside.%Gallery-1582%
FCC makes Samsung SGH-A727's wildest dreams come true
It's no surprise that the FCC might take some interest in the 8.9 millimeter, 3G-capable A727 from Samsung, seeing how it was bearing Cingular / AT&T firmware when we peeped it at CES -- and seeing how ultra-thin candybars are slim for the picking (pun intended) on the US' one and only live WCDMA network at the moment, we're delighted to see the feds issue their stamp of approval. Still no word on when we might see it launch, or whether it'll bear Cingular or AT&T branding when it does, but as usual we'd ask everyone to work nights and weekends to get it expedited, mkay?
Samsung outdoes itself with Ultra Smart F700
Eek! Must restore... cardiac function... ahh, there we go. Samsung's Ultra Editions seem to get classier, glossier, and more far-fetched with every subsequent iteration -- and if they haven't already jumped the shark, they have now with the rather breathtaking Ultra Smart F700. The candybar with a slide-out QWERTY 'board makes do with 7.2Mbps (yes, we said "seven point two") HSDPA plus EDGE for those occasions when 3G towers are out of reach, a 2.78 inch touchscreen sporting no fewer than 440 x 240 pixels, microSD expansion, full HTML browsing, Bluetooth, and a whopping 5 megapixels of snapping power on the backside. Per protocol, America is left squarely out of the equation with GSM 850 and WCDMA 850 / 1900 all coming up missing, but at least folks in the greater Barcelona area should get a shot at it next week when it bows all official-like at 3GSM.%Gallery-1519%
Ultra Products unveils 2000-watt X3 ATX power supply
We're all about watching new "world's (insert adjective here)" gizmos become a reality, and we certainly don't mind the occasional dash of overkill, but Ultra Products' forthcoming power supply takes "insane" to another level. In what's presumably the world's largest, most powerful PSU to call an ATX case home, the 2000-watt Modular X3 comes in at 10.25-inches in length and will reportedly fit "wherever a PC Power & Cooling 1000-watt version will". The +12V rail alone is rated at 1800-watts, which means that it can purportedly handle a 150A load, and just might cause some sort of small disaster if actually achieved. Nevertheless, the smorgasbord of connectors allow for more power connections that most could even fathom needing, but Ultra believes that this PSU should remove all worry over whether or not your rig "has enough juice." While it's easy to brush this off as completely absurd, the latest AMD scorchers combined with a few NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX or ATI R600 cards could easily eat up a good bit of the supplied power, so if a ginormous power supply was the only thing missing from finishing up your energy-sucking rig, Ultra's X3 should be available sometime this quarter for "less than $499."[Via Digg]
First "Googlephone" ends up being Samsung's Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720)
Contrary to previous beliefs, it looks like neither Orange nor HTC will have a part in producing the first "Googlephone," and instead it seems that Samsung is slipping in the back door to steal the limelight. When the Ultra Edition 13.8 (formerly known as the Z720) got official a few days back, we noticed the relatively unexpected suite of Google apps swarming the mobile's innards, and aside from the handset not exactly abiding by the Opera agreement that is supposedly falling into place, it seems a good fit for the first Google-infused mobile. Of course, the programs that come loaded are all available as free downloads on supported handsets, but it seems the European-bound 13.8 will be numero uno in what's likely to be quite a lengthy list of Googled mobiles.
