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Sprint roadmap hints at blue HTC One launch on September 10th
The folks over at PhoneArena have gotten their hands on a shot of a Sprint roadmap that'll excite fans of Mark Rothko's "Blue" period. The document claims that we'll see HTC's azure-hued version of the One arrive on the big yellow network on September 10th. Which is nice, because as far as we know, that's looking like it'll be a slow news day.
Sony reveals blue 250GB PS3 for $250, exclusive to GameStop
Sony is hoping that by now you either don't already own a PlayStation 3, or direly need a game console to match your primary colored living room decor before November 15th. To that end, the tech giant is releasing the previously Japan-only "azurite blue" PS3 Superslim exclusively to GameStop. The console sports a 250GB hard drive, one matching DualShock 3 controller and a $249.99 price tag -- kinda makes that $200 12GB model look a bit silly now, doesn't it? Pre-orders open up tomorrow and you'll be able to pick one up from your favorite GameStop or Canadian EB Games starting October 8th.
Blue HTC One shell gets snapped in the non-flesh (updated)
Press renders? Pah. Now we've seen snaps of the forthcoming blue HTC One in some of its metallic glory. The shell, which was reportedly snapped by a worker who works for a factory contracted to make parts for HTC's smartphones, seems to confirm that the company is cooking up an azure edition of its flagship handset. While we're not sure if this will single-handedly restore HTC's fortunes, at least there's a built-in market for fans of Eiffel 65, ELO and the bad guys from Firefly. Update: Yet another HTC One in blue has been spotted out in the wild and the folks over at Mobile01 have got the pictures. We've tucked one after the break for you to take a look at, too.
Blue Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 revealed in leaked press render
Looks like white and brown won't be the only colors on offer for Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 for long. Evidently set to join those variants, @evleaks recently pushed out a purported press render of the slate clad in a deep blue. Notably free of any carrier-branding, it's unlikely that this unit is the AT&T-compatible LTE model that recently traveled through the FCC. No word on when and where this version might be available, but we'll keep you posted about any developments.
Weekly Roundup: Smartphone buyer's guide, Hyperloop, Windows 8.1 release date, and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Daily Roundup: Tablet buyer's guide, Outlook goes down, Windows 8.1 launch date, and more!
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.
HTC One gets shown off in blue, could land later this year
The HTC One has seen a few different colors in its days -- silver, black and "glamour red" come to mind -- but we haven't actually seen one of the company's flagships in blue until now. It appears that this rumored blue variant is about to get official, though: that press render up there comes courtesy of leakster @evleaks, who claims the phone should be showing up sometime this year. We're not seeing any carrier branding, which indicates that it would likely be released in other parts of the world besides the US, such as Europe, but we certainly don't want to rule out a possible appearance on this side of the Atlantic either. Update: PhoneArena is reporting that the blue-colored One has been seen in Verizon's internal systems, so it's possible we will indeed see this particular color option here in the states. [Thanks all!]
Ninja Theory splash reel reveals girl with blue hair in a dark city
Ninja Theory is responsible for Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, the new Devil May Cry reboot and ... something starring a girl with blue hair in a dark urban environment. A demo reel on Ninja Theory's front page shows concepts and clips from all of these games, including that last one, which doesn't fit into any universes the developer has announced or released so far. The clips show off a dystopian, vaguely Neapolitan cityscape, and a dank alley of dripping pipes, curving metal signage, garbage cans on fire and a cage-like people-mover that speeds by a bullet train. The girl has bright blue eyes, matching blue hair, and the world itself is tinged in blue hues See a few screengrabs below. Ninja Theory is currently working on next-generation console titles, according to its introduction paragraph, though it recently teamed up with Chillingo to develop the mobile game Fightback.
Vertu Ti now available in red or blue limited editions, only 1,000 of each made
The Vertu Ti Colours collection is wrapped in either "Sunset Red" or "Midnight Blue" calf leather, and only 1,000 units are made for each color.
Blue Microphones' Nessie now available, promises enhanced sound in real time
Blue Microphones' Nessie is now out on the market, months after we took it for a spin at this year's CES. Named after a cryptid like its older sibling the Yeti, Nessie comes with three modes -- one for raw audio, another optimized for richer vocals and one that enhances instrumental music. The company claims the USB microphone delivers studio-enhanced sound in real-time, and you don't need to go through manual post-production unless you chose to record in raw audio. Made to work directly with both PCs and Macs, you can also use Nessie with iPads using a 30-pin to USB or a Lightning to USB adapter. Available now for $99 at Apple's retail and online stores, Nessie will also surface on Best Buy, Guitar Center, and other Blue retailers at a later date. Before you whip out those credit cards, though, check out the sound samples and comparisons recorded using the device after the break.
The Daily Roundup for 05.30.2013
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.
The Daily Roundup for 05.29.2013
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.
Verizon launches Droid RAZR HD and RAZR M in blue, sort of
Motorola is no stranger to launching phones in bolder hues, and it's not letting up just because Google is at the helm. Case in point: Verizon has started carrying blue versions of the Droid RAZR M and Droid RAZR HD at the same prices (free and $100) as their subdued black and white counterparts. Our known affinity for the color is a bit tempered here, however. Like the pink Droid RAZR M that surfaced a few months back, the color only goes around the edges -- both RAZRs are otherwise as black as can be. Still, that little splash of blue may be enough to stand out in a frequently drab world.
The Weekly Roundup for 05.13.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Roundup for 05.14.2013
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.
Microsoft drops the Blue codename, confirms Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade available later this year
One of the worst kept secrets rattling around Microsoft's campus is Windows Blue, the forthcoming update to Windows 8 that addresses users' bugbears about the OS. Now, Microsoft is officially rechristening the platform, and with a more staid name: Windows 8.1. Tami Reller, the CMO and CFO of Microsoft's Windows Division made the big reveal during JP Morgan's Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. The upgrade will be free and available from the home screen when it launches, while a preview version will be opened up to the public on June 26th at the beginning of Build 2013. Unfortunately, Reller wouldn't get any more specific about a formal release date, saying simply that it will be delivered "later in the calendar year." The only clarification she would offer is, "we know when the holidays are." As anticipated, the Windows 8.1 update will come to both the full version of the OS as well as the ARM-friendly RT. While we haven't officially seen any sub-10-inch slates announced yet, it's been rumored that 8.1 would enable smaller devices. Reller's comments only backed up those expectations, when she suggested that Windows 8 is great for everything from "the smallest tablets" to desktops.
Microsoft Windows 8.1 'Blue' public preview will be released at Build in June
On the fence about heading to Build? Microsoft's annual conference is scheduled from June 26th to the 28th, and developers in attendance will likely hear quite a bit more about the latest version of Windows 8. MS will also make a public preview available during the event, Julie Larson-Green shared at the Wired Business Conference in New York City today. A final version of Windows 8.1 "Blue" is expected by the end of the year, bringing cosmetic updates and other features, such as a new side-by-side app view and Internet Explorer 11. In March, we managed to dig through pre-release build 9364 -- it sounds like we'll be able to take a much closer look at the new operating system this summer, but you can click through our gallery of screenshots for an early preview, right now.
Microsoft tops 100 million Windows 8 licenses sold, promises Windows Blue update in 2013
For many observers, the real story for Windows 8 was never going to be the 60 million licenses sold during the holiday rush -- it was always about the long term. The first indications of its post-launch impact are here, and show mixed results. In an interview on the company blog, Microsoft CMO/CFO Tami Reller says that it "recently" sold its 100 millionth Windows 8 license since the OS launched in October. That's a healthy figure, but sales of about 10 million units a month between its January stat update and today show adoption hasn't picked up again since the initial dropoff. The usual post-holiday lull no doubt played a part, although estimates of a much steeper drop in PC sales than usual suggest more was afoot. Microsoft doesn't see an immediate problem however, touting both brisk Windows Store adoption -- downloads of both free and paid apps surged from 100 million in January to 250 million -- and the pending arrival of more affordable convertible notebooks, touchscreen laptops and all-in-ones later this year. Oh, and about that Windows Blue update everyone's been talking about? It's at last official. Microsoft isn't mentioning details beyond the Windows Blue codename, but it does promise that the upgrade should be available before 2013 is over. We're looking forward to that extra level of personalization already.
Is this a limited edition BlackBerry Z10 in blue or just a very nice custom paint job?
Red might be the limited edition color of choice for the BlackBerry Z10, but how would you feel about a blue one? That's exactly what rapper (and avid BB10 fan) Lil 'E has flourished to his Twitter followers. Looking just as bright as the developer-only red version, we can't quite make out whether we're dealing with an (admittedly eye-catching) customized handset or a special gift to one of the company's biggest fans. We've reached out to BlackBerry to check, but until we hear back, there's another fuzzy shot to ogle after the break.
Breakfast Topic: How do you talk to Blizzard?
When I left World of Warcraft, about two years ago, if you wanted to talk to Blizzard, you didn't have many options. You could submit an in-game ticket if you had a problem or post complaints or discussion in the forums and hope for a response. But response time for GMs was typically slow and you could never tell if a Blizzard employee would jump on responding to your forum thread. Having a conversation with a Blizzard employee seemed like a rare thing -- that involved a heck of a lot of luck And while there's still no way to guarantee a blue response, when I came back to WoW, I was most surprised by how much communicating with Blizzard had changed. These days you can find Blizzard and Blizzard employees on the forums and in-game, of course, but you'll also find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and even Reddit. And they're not just there to talk official Blizzard business (though they certainly answer questions from time to time): you're just as likely to find them chatting and joking, just like anyone else on social networks. So when you've got a burning question or a game problem that needs addressing, where do you go to talk about it? Do you stick to the classic official channels, or do you launch into a discussion on Twitter?
