Hawk
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EE’s £150 all-glass Hawk phone offers super-fast 4G
A little more than a week ago we caught wind of a new own-brand smartphone by EE. Today, that device is official — it's called the Hawk and will run you £150 on pay-as-you-go, or zilch with a two-year contract starting at £14.99 per month. That's a tad more expensive than we were expecting (our little birdie pegged it closer to £100), but otherwise the Hawk contains few surprises. Up front is a 5-inch, 720p display running Android Nougat 7.1 (no word on Android Oreo), while a 1.5Gz, octa-core Mediatek 6750 processor and 2GB of RAM keep everything ticking over.
T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart
We've heard rumblings that Samsung's Exhibit 4G would be making its way to T-Mob on June 8, but now the carrier has confirmed that the Gingerbread smartphone will be available sometime in June. The Exhibit will join Samsung's Gravity Smart, both featuring grounded sub-$100 price tags (after $50 rebate) when they hit stores. T-Mob is displaying the Exhibit with violet and black finishes, and says you'll see "theoretical" peak download speeds of 21Mbps on the HSPA + handset. As for the Smart, the carrier's first Android-powered Gravity smartphone will launch with 2.2 Froyo, and includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, so you'll be sending Group Texts to 50 of your closest friends with four rows of hardware keys. Both phones include 3 megapixel rear-facing cameras with flashes, while the Exhibit adds a front-facing cam as well, so that myTouch 4G girl may be hawking a new smartphone on your TV later this month.
T-Mobile 2011 roadmap leaks, lists loads of specific release dates?
Samsung's Hercules was the entree, but there's always room for dessert, and if you'd like to finish off your meal with juicy cellular rumors, This is my next has you covered. The publication now claims to have T-Mobile's entire 2011 device roadmap in their possession, replete with alleged release dates for a stable of phones and hotspots -- some of which we've never heard of before -- which should make for plenty of excitement in the months to come. Find all the highlights after the break.
Samsung Exhibit 4G coming to T-Mobile on June 8th?
It wasn't even two weeks ago that we first glimpsed the Samsung Exhibit 4G for T-Mobile in the wild (and spied its FCC footprint). Now it looks like this Gingerbread phone will go on sale June 8th -- if this flyer sent in to TmoNews is to be believed. Still no word on pricing, though we know dealers will pay $325 a pop. To recap, a peek at the filing and unauthorized photos reveals the Exhibit 4G is an HSPA + handset running TouchWiz on top of Android 2.3, with front and rear-facing cameras, an LED flash in the back, and a microSD card slot. The site's sources also suggest the phone will pack a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU and a 3 megapixel back camera, a departure from the speculation we were treated to earlier this month. In any case, it looks like T-Mobile will set the record straight in a matter of weeks.
Scattered Shots: Wrath of the Hunter
Welcome to Scattered Shots, where Daniel Whitcomb is totally making plans to walk with rhythm so that he can attract the worm.So with Wrath less than a week away, we got our work cut out for us, so to speak. Luckily, 3.0's early release has given us time to learn to handle our pets and respec to take advantage of new talents, but now the big push is upon, as 10 levels and a whole slew of new zones opens up for us. When you step off the boat or zeppelin in Borean Tundra or Howling Fjord, where will you go? What will you do? Here's a few quick Hunter specific tips to getting started in the Wrath of the Lich King.
TiVo soliciting beta testers for "Hawk" Series3 / TiVo HD software update
Generally, we'd say it's hard to tell what TiVo has up its sleeve with this newfangled "Hawk" software, but given that we already took a peek at what's potentially the next big TiVo interface late last month, we can't help but think the two are related. TiVo has been sending out solicitation e-mails to select Series3 / TiVo HD owners in order to enlist them in a beta program to test out a software release slated for launch sometime this fall. Users are being asked to deal with a few quirks and report them in a timely fashion, and they're promised a small parting gift for their participation. Of note, "Hawk" won't work with Series1 / Series2 boxes, and while "fall" is definitely mentioned, so is the word "December." Meaning? Don't get your hopes up that this release will be headed down the pipes in gold fashion anytime soon. [Thanks, NotMe]
WowWee Dragonfly bots being hunted by hawks
We wouldn't have believed it, either, but the WowWee Dragonfly is attracting some unusual attention -- owners are reporting their bots are being attacked by hawks. WowWee says 45 people have reported hawk attacks in the past two months, and there's even a few pictures of the birds with their robotic prey out there -- like this one taken by fifth-grader Danny McGorry. We always knew the Dragonfly was fun, but this takes it to another level -- all we need now is a remote squirt gun mounted on the thing and we'll be ready to go. Check the whole article below. %Gallery-16649%
AMD updates roadmap: Barcelona "nearly here," all-new chips in 2010
AMD had itself a busy day today: not only did the European Commission file antitrust charges against Intel for interfering with AMD's business in Europe, the Sunnyvale company released an updated product roadmap at its annual analyst conference. With the quad-core Barcelona processor on track for an August launch, the company announced its next-gen mobile platform, "Puma," which will feature hybrid graphics support. Looking even farther ahead, AMD also announced some chips we won't see for a while yet: the all-new workstation- and server-oriented "Bulldozer" chip and mobile device "Bobcat" chip are scheduled to arrive sometime in 2010, and represent entirely new chip designs for the company. The hits didn't stop there, however: AMD's also announced its first Fusion integrated CPU / GPU chip, the "Falcon," which will use the Bulldozer core -- no word on what happened to Hawk or when we'll see this ship. Finally, the company answered speculation that it's looking to get out of the manufacturing game by saying that it's aiming for the "right balance" between in-house and outside fabrication, but that it's committed to its current existing mix through 2009. All in all, it looks like AMD has got some pretty ambitious plans for the future -- but will it be enough to hold off scrappy upstart Hynix? Tons more info, including all the slides, at the read link.[Thanks, Ryan]
Rumor: Dave Mirra BMX Challenge coming to the Wii
Rumor has it that Crave Entertainment is going to publish a version of Dave Mirra BMX Challenge on the Wii. The rumored release date is Q3 2007 and the game is said to retail for $39.99 USD. The source of the rumor comes from Codename Revolution, who say a distribution contact of theirs confirms the news. Still, even if it is true, is anyone even interested?The weird thing about BMX titles is that none have really enjoyed the success of the Tony Hawk series. That isn't for wanting, though, as the Matt Hoffman and Dave Mirra games tried to enjoy the skateboarding game's success in the BMX world. So, are you one of those BMX fans? Looking forward to some BMX action on the Wii?
AMD's revamped roadmap unveils APUs, Hawks, and Griffins
While we've had plenty of time to digest Intel's path forward, we've been critiquing AMD's latest efforts rather than gazing down their intriguing roadmap. Nevertheless, a (presumably yawn-inducing) four-hour presentation yielded a few noteworthy tidbits about where AMD's headed, and how it plans to arrive. The firm insinuated that Intel's gazillion-core approach was simply rehashing the megahertz race, and said it would be focusing it efforts instead on Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). Although the composition is still a bit vague, the devices will supposedly be "multi-core chips that include any mix of processor cores and other dedicated processors," such as discrete units for graphics, physics, audio, video, encoding, etc. While a dash of this has already been divulged when we heard about Fusion, it looks likes AMD's getting pretty serious about it now. Additionally, the desktop roadmap didn't deviate from what we'd previously seen, but the firm plans to unveil a new power-conscience "Hawk" processor to replace the current Turion 64 X2 and Mobile Sempron chips. Moreover, it's working on offering up a hybrid graphics solution, which would see discrete GPUs disabled when unplugged from a power source, letting the integrated graphics set take over and conserve juice. Finally, the company plans to introduce yet another mobile chip (dubbed Griffin) in late 2007 that will reportedly support split power planes and HyperTransport 3.0, hopefully meaning that it'll be based on a quad-core architecture. While we don't exactly recommend sitting through the entire webcast, those who eat, sleep, and drink circuitry can hit the read link for the full (and we do mean full) skinny.[Via TechReport, thanks Keaton]
Thomas Hawk Switches
San Francisco photo-geek and Zooomr evangelist Thomas Hawk has a secret. Two weeks ago, he walked into the Apple Store in Palo Alto and plopped down the cash for a brand-new MacBook Pro, which he says is "f**ing amazing!"For some reason I can't seem to fathom, Hawk felt so ashamed of this that he kept his new illicit love hidden from the world until he came to grips with his new OS orientation. Why the sudden change of heart? The standard PC user gripes apply; Windows is buggy, Dells are badly designed, and things tend not to work. More interesting to me than the simple fact of Thomas switching is this anti-Apple counter-culture which has become more prominent with the rise of the iPod. I know more than a few otherwise intelligent people whose only reason for not buying an iPod is that they don't want to be like everyone else. But my point to them is always that maybe everyone has an iPod because it's really the best out there! Why subject yourself to a sub-par audio player or computer simply because you want to be the "rebel." Now, I've only seen this philosophy present in people who are deeply involved in the circles in which I run; bloggers, designers, and as one called us, "The San Francisco Hippy Crowd." So I guess what I'm really observing is people trying to be the counter-culture to a counter-culture. Interesting, eh?
DS Fanboy Tony Hawk contest: and the winner is ...
After having shown the honorable mentions of our contest, we're now ready to reveal the winner and the runner-up. Remember, the winner will receive a copy of Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam on the DS, while the runner-up will be gifted with Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam on the GBA. So, without further delay, let us get right to it ...
DS Fanboy Tony Hawk contest: honorable mentions
Our contest has concluded and as we literally sift through all of the entries, attempting to find pockets of air in order to keep from suffocating as we do so, we've come up with a pair of winners and several honorable mentions. We've done the appropriate inclusion of the honorable mentions into the post, past the jump, so check them out and be sure to keep your eyes here for the announcement of our winner and runner-up later on today.
DS Fanboy Review: Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (GBA)
Just about everyone has heard of Tony Hawk. Whether you're a fan of skateboarding or gaming, the man has made an impact, often considered equal, in both cultures. With his first game being released way back when on the original Playstation, folks have had plenty of time to learn how to bust kickflips and grind massive rails in his games.His games on the GBA have been no joke, either. Featuring an isolated bird's eye view, previous games featured excellent 3D graphics and gameplay on the portable system. But where the old games were all about busting big lines and tearing up the course to your heart's content, this game is more of a racing game and, as such, you're limited in the tricks department.
DS Fanboy Review: Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (DS)
Just about everyone has heard of Tony Hawk. Whether you're a fan of skateboarding or gaming, the man has made an impact, often considered equal, in both cultures. With his first game being released way back when on the original Playstation, folks have had plenty of time to learn how to bust kickflips and grind massive rails in his games.Then, upon the launch of Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service, a little Tony Hawk game by the name of Tony Hawk's American Sk8land released. Not only taking full advantage of Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service, the single-player and local multiplayer experience in the title were also excellent. Now, we receive the game's successor in Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam.
"Audio telescope" could help mitigate bird strikes
Bird strike has always struck us (har) as a bit of a misnomer. As British comedian Eddie Izzard once pointed out, birds don't exactly fly around looking for planes to go after -- the act of a bird hitting a plane's body or engine should be more adequately described as "engine suck." Either way, it's caused $2 billion worth of damage to US-based aircraft since 1990, according to the FAA. So, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology is currently working on a solution that involves a terrestrial setup of 192 microphones (an "audio telescope," if you will) that aims to pick up on bird sounds and detect what type of bird is approaching oncoming aircraft. The idea is that while a smaller sparrow isn't usually much concern, a larger hawk or Canada goose would be a problem when colliding with planes. One big problem though: currently the audio telescope can only detect birds at distances of a few hundred meters; Vincent Stanford of the NIST says that to really be effective, the telescope would "need to be up to around 2.5 kilometers." So get crackin' fellas, looks like your work is cut out for you.
Downhill Jam vs. Project 8
With the upcoming November retail battle between Sony and Nintendo as they release their respective consoles just days apart, it's truly a wonderful time to be alive (and a gamer). With Sony's cheap knock-off motion-sensing Sixaxis controller, will Tony Hawk's title be superior on the PS3 to the legendary skater's Wii installment in Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam? Why not take a look at the side-by-side comparison of each title's gameplay in the embedded video, available after the break, and let us know![Via NeoGAF]
New Downhill Jam trailer busts grinds across our eyeballs
With the latest online feature revealed, we're anxious to get our hands on Tony's latest outing on the DS. As such, IGN's newest trailer up at their site only further aids our maniacal desire for what is sure to be a rail-grinding, kickflip-busting good time. The trailer comes in at 1:39, but we assure you the length is chock full of good gameplay footage.Go check it out already!
Confirmed: Downhill Jam to feature in-game voice chat
That's right, you read the headline correctly. In an e-mail that was sent out to Sk8land community members describing the game's final features, it's revealed that the title will feature in-game voice chat, something sorely missed from a certain game featuring a female bounty hunters and energy-absorbing life forms. Among that bomb, other Sk8land community features in the final game include: 50 graffiti and skate decks drawn by SK8Land's best community artists have been included in every copy of Downhill Jam for Nintendo DS! Community Moderator AgoraKenny worked with Vicarious Visions as a Designer on Downhill Jam DS Some of the game's other features include: Create custom shirts and pants as well as graffiti and skate decks for your skater Fully customizable RGB color scale - use any colors you want! Zoom in for pixel perfect precision Upload your art and share it on the Downhill Jam Community Site 4 player Head to Head over Nintendo Wi-Fi Live voice chat with friends during gameplay Global score rankings Replays Sk8 Crews 100 Downloadable Goals
Progressive scan, 16:9 included in Downhill Jam
A rather excited fan of the site recently sent in an email correspondence with one Alex Ness of Toys For Bob, the developers behind Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. While this reader could've used the opportunity to pry loose release information for the console or exclusive content in the game, instead his main focus was whether or not the game would support progressive scan and include an option for 16:9 aspect ratio. According to the email, these are to be included:"We're working on supporting progressive scan and widescreen right now and should definitely get it in before we ship."So there you have it, word directly from Alex Ness at Toys For Bob that Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam will support 480p and 16:9. Our readers, they are the best![Thanks enbob89!]
