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Lenovo's Intel-powered K900 smartphone on sale now in China, ships internationally this summer
It arrived with a bang, but it's been dead silence ever since. Lenovo's Intel Clover Trail+ smartphone, the Android-based K900, is finally ready to make its grand entrance into the consumer realm. The 5.5-inch powerhouse will ship with a dual-core Atom Z2580 CPU (2.0GHz) within, a PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPU, a 1080p IPS panel slipped behind a coating of Gorilla Glass 2 and a 13 megapixel camera. Despite the sizable display, it weighs just 162 grams and measures 6.9 millimeters thick, and should be available across greater China right now for RMB 3,299 (around $536) -- or RMB 2,999 if you're lucky. For those outside of Lenovo's homeland, you'll need to wait until summer for it to hit an unspecified amount of "international markets."
Formlabs ships first Form 1 3D printer, Kickstarter backers should see theirs next week
Some might say it's been a long, long while since October -- with "some" referring to the swath of Kickstarter backers who've been waiting oh-so-patiently for a Form 1 to call their own. Formlabs has just confirmed via a company blog post that the very first Form 1 3D printer shipped out today, as the Collector's Edition Form 1 and half of the Initial Formation tier of pledges hopped on a variety of delivery trucks. The rest of you backers can expect to begin printing "by the end of next week." For those keeping count, the Form 1 is actually a few months behind schedule, but in all honesty, that's pretty good considering the up-and-down nature of crowdfunded projects that manage to find the limelight. The outfit is reminding folks that Form 1 units are shipped as they're produced, fulfilling Kickstarter rewards and preorders by priority. Specifics on group deliveries won't come for a few more weeks, but those in the Bay Area can swing by Maker Faire (or ICFF if you're in the Big Apple) to catch an early glimpse. Oh, and if you're just now hearing of this thing? You can place a $3,299 order right now, but you probably won't get it until July. Them's the breaks, kids!
Archos GamePad now shipping for £130: Android 4.1, 1.6GHz CPU and a bona fide D-pad
You've waited long enough, haven't you? The low-cost PMP leader has kept the mantra alive with its GamePad, which is now shipping to those interested for £129.99. Put simply, it's a widescreen gaming handheld that runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), replete with a 1.6GHz dual-core processor and Mali 400mp quad-core GPU. There's a 1,024 x 600 resolution touchpanel, physical control buttons and analog sticks, and the whole thing checks in at just 0.3-inches thick. Unfortunately, there's no word on battery life, but even the optimist in us can't predict a number that'd be worthy of boasting about. Hit up the source link to make plans for purchase, or click past the break for the full presser. Update: Anandtech reports the device will come within range of US gaming thumbs early next year, though there's no dollar price to go with that information.
Fifth-gen iPod touch and nano now in stores and in the mail (update: limited release)
If you've been waiting impatiently to get your hands on the latest cellular radio-less iOS device, we've got good news. The fifth gen iPod touch with its elongated screen and colorful backplate is available today in some Apple stores across the globe across the country. And, if you preordered the slinky aluminum and glass media player, it should already be in the mail. The latest edition of the nano, which is becoming more and more like its larger sibling the touch every day, is also popping up on shelves. The seventh generation of the tiny player, complete with multi touch screen and 16GB of storage, is cropping in Apple stores for $149 starting today. Let us know in the comments if you decided to pick up either device.
Sony's Xperia acro S now on sale in unlocked form for $600 (updated: new pricing)
Shortly after leaping through the requisite FCC hoops, Sony's 1.5GHz Xperia acro S is now on sale to able and willing Americans. For those who've forgotten, the 4.3-inch smartphone packs a 720p panel, IP55 and IP57 dust / water resistance, inbuilt NFC, Bluetooth, a 12.1-megapixel camera around back, a battery good for up to eight hours of yapping and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). In unlocked form, it'll set you back $649.99 -- or, for the Sony faithful, just 64,999 Rewards points $600. Sadly, you can't get one stamped with a Sony Ericsson logo for the sake of nostalgia at any price. Per usual, the source link is awaiting your order. Update: Sony's just issued official PR for the US release of the Xperia acro S with adjusted pricing. Now, the unlocked handset will be available for $50 less than previously listed.
Blue Microphones Mikey Digital portable microphone for iOS devices hits shelves, offers mobile tracking for $100
The second of Blue Microphone's CES trio has broken cover. Mikey Digital, a mobile recording peripheral for the iPad and iPhone is now available at select retailers. If you're in need of a refresher, the retooled version of the original Mikey tracking unit connects to you Apple smartphone or tablet via the dock connector. The mic houses the same two condenser capsules found on the more robust Snowball and Yeti USB mics while sporting built-in sensitivity control and CD-quality analog / digital conversion. A 3.5mm audio jack is included for monitoring or either stereo line-in or mic-in -- if you're looking to tack on a few more gadgets when recording with the 230-degree rotating kit. USB pass-thru allows for charging while in the midst of a session and a LED clipping indicator keeps tabs on volume levels to ensure the best results. If all of that sounds too good to pass up, the Mikey Digital will hit your wallet for $99.99 just as soon at you can enter your shipping info.
Cowon's X9 PMP now shipping, features up to 110 hours of music playback
The latest addition to Cowon's line of portable media players is reaching consumers' hands in the good, old US of A as shipping is now underway for the X9. The PMP -- which comes in either black or white -- measures 72.5mm wide, 114.9mm tall and weighs in at 159 grams. It also features a 4.3-inch touchscreen, your choice of either 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of internal flash memory, as well as a MicroSD slot. Although good sound quality is typically Cowon's calling card, the X9 also serves up a healthy helping of battery life with the company claiming up to 110 hours of music playback. Operating time when watching video is said to be up to 13 hours while charging time takes 4.5 hours via AC adapter and 6 hours when juicing through a USB connection. Supported file formats include MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, WAV, XviD, WMV and ASF. Unlike the Plenue Z2 and the D3, the X9 opts out of using the Android OS -- which is either good or bad depending on one's preferences. Its 480 x 272 resolution is also decidedly lower than, say, the 800 x 480 seen in the Z2's 3.7-inch screen. As for cost, folks interested in getting the X9 will have to lighten their wallets to the tune of $229.99. For more details, check out the Cowon site via the link below.
Nexus 7 pre-orders start shipping in UK and Canada (Update: model specific US details)
The Nexus 7 machine is in full swing. According to Google, all pre-orders placed by Friday the 13th in the US and Australia have been filled as of today (though some may still be en route), and our friends in the UK and Canada should be receiving theirs soon enough. Deliveries are currently heading out in waves, putting 7-inches of Jelly Bean in the hands of eager "footie" fans and beneficiaries of socialized medicine. Have you gotten your shipment notification yet? Let us know in the comments. Update: Google has since changed the wording on its site and, unfortunately, not "all" US and Australian have shipped. Now it's just "many." Update 2: Google has changed the wording yet again, now providing more detail broken down by model. As of 7:50~ ET, it indicates all standalone 8GB versions ordered on or before July 13th have been shipped, while standalone 16GB orders placed on or before July 11th will all be shipped by the 19th, and have also been upgraded to overnight shipping. Ordered with accessories like a case, charger or Nexus Q? Your slate will ship, overnight, this week although the extra bits may be following "soon." Got it? Hit the source link to get it all straight from the horse's mouth and to check whether it's (inevitably) been updated once again. [Thanks, Andrew]
Blue Microphones Tiki USB mic now available at Best Buy, coming to Apple stores July 15th
Remember that miniature USB mic we saw back at CES from Blue? Well, the outfit just announced that the Tiki is hitting store shelves with the same $59.99 price tag we expected. The mobile recording peripheral is now available at Best Buy and is slated to hit Apple stores and other retailers at the month's half-way point. In case you're in need of a refresher, the diminutive unit features Intelligent Speech mode for recording interviews or meetings and Natural Recording mode for capturing your best Jack White guitar riffs. You can also expect proprietary noise cancelling technology, voice isolation and intelligent mute with the kit that is sized similar to a USB flash drive and connects via said ports. If you're itchin' for a closer look before adding one to your mobile recording setup, take a peek back at our hands-on for a few detail shots.
Twelve South launches redesigned BookBook for iPad and BookBook for iPhone cases
During a visit to Twelve South's headquarters earlier in the year, we learned that its heralded BookBook lines would be getting a refresh for the iPad and iPhone. Today, we're able to actually talk about 'em. Both products are getting a gentle facelift, and better still, both products are shipping immediately to those interested. The star of the show is quite clearly the iPad edition, which has been "completely redesigned" in order to be some 33 percent thinner while weighing 358 grams. The interior is refreshed, too, with a rigid casing that hides a slip-in cover and a built-in stand. Reportedly in response to popular demand, a black and a red version are joining the classic brown edition, with each one constructed from leather and offering up a dual zipper system. The BookBook for iPad ($79.99) is built to support both the iPad 2 and the new Retina-equipped iPad, while the slightly tweaked BookBook for iPhone ($59.99; now available in brown and black) will comfortably house the iPhone 4 or 4S. Word hounds can find more where this came from in the PR past the break. %Gallery-158569%
Braven Six Series Bluetooth speakers now shipping, three choices for on-the-go audio, USB charging
Jawbone's Jamboxes may be the first gizmos that jump to mind if you're searching for wireless, on-the-go speakers, but they're not the only options out there. An outfit by the name of Braven has been teasing its own Bluetooth-enabled Six Series stereo noiseyboxes since April, and now it's officially ready to ship them off. Aside from pumping out wire-free audio, each unit can be used as a portable USB charger for your various gadgets. You'll have a choice between the aluminum-encased 600 ($150) and 650 ($190) models, while the 625 ($180) variant features a ruggedized, shock-absorbing enclosure and a water-proof bag for the more adventurous of you out there. You'll get anywhere from 12-20 hours of charging depending on the model, but each features the same internal setup for sound: two three-watt speakers paired with a dual passive bass radiator. You'll find more details on the specs of each model and your color options in the press release after the break.
Nokia ships Lumia 900 and Reaction Bluetooth Headset in China
Based on the amount of effort poured into iOS 6 in order to tailor it for users in China, one thing's obvious: it's a nation grasping for smartphones. Apple's seeing huge, huge upticks in spending from Chinese customers, and Nokia's sure hoping it sees similar. In the midst of untold turmoil, Nokia is sprinkling in a bit of positive news this morning -- news that the Lumia 900 is now shipping in China. The 900 marks the fifth Lumia smartphone to ship in the nation of 900 million mobile phone users, with white, black and cyan versions to choose from. Outside of the basic specifications, the Chinese 900 will also come preloaded with nation-specific apps such as Sina Weibo, QQ IM, Baidu Search and Alipay. Oh, and if a phone wasn't enough, the Nokia Reaction Bluetooth Headset is also launching there today, enabling you to finally make use of that NFC module. The Lumia 900 hardware will sell for RMB 4599 ($721) in Nokia's flagship store, Nokia brand stores and the nation's "top electronics chain stores."
Maingear's 11.6-inch Pulse 11 gaming laptop starts shipping
Alienware's M11x may be history, but as these things tend to go, there's always someone willing to carry the torch. Maingear's recently-introduced 11.6-inch Pulse 11 just so happens to be that rig in this here story, and those that've been waiting won't have to twiddle their thumbs any longer. The company is shipping the bantam gaming rig in the US starting this week, offering a Core i7 CPU (or a Core i5, if you'd rather), NVIDIA's Optimus graphics switching (tied to a GeForce GT 650 'Kepler' GPU), 11.6-inch LED-backlit panel (1366 x 768), up to 16GB of DDR3 memory, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 9-in-1 card reader, six-cell Li-ion battery and plenty of ports. It's starting at just $999, but speccing it out all proper like will send the asking price well north of that. (But trust us, it's worth it.)
IK Multimedia's iRig MIC Cast is now shipping for iOS devices, we go hands-on
Back at CES, IK Multimedia unveiled a trio of music / recording accessories for iDevices. One of which was the diminutive iRig MIC Cast to handle those on-the-go podcasting and voice recording duties. The outfit has announced that the ultra-compact microphone that plays nice with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is now shipping. Let's have a quick refresher, shall we? The kit plugs into your Apple device's 3.5mm audio jack and sports a headphone output of its own for monitoring purposes. Inside the kit, a unidirectional condenser capsule goes to work to isolate the audio you want recorded instead that pesky background chatter. If you're looking to snag one, it'll set you back $40 (€29.99) and includes a stand for your handheld inside the box. But before you take the leap, head on past the break for some of our hands-on impressions of the device. %Gallery-156531%
Adobe Creative Suite 6 now available, Creative Cloud floating into action May 11th
Eager to get your fancy new mask on? Open up the wallet. Adobe's freshly announced Creative Suite (we're up to CS6, for those keeping count) is now available, with Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Flash Professional and more up for grabs. As for that subscription-based Creative Cloud option? Folks looking to pay monthly for the new wares will have to wait until Friday, May 11th. Those buying outright can get the CS6 Master Collection for $2,599, while $1,899 gets you Production Premium (or Design & Web Premium) and $1,299 nets you Design Standard. As usual, upgrade and education pricing is available for those that qualify, with all the details you could want tucked in the release just after the break.
Nikon D3200 now shipping from Best Buy, unboxing video gets personal with new features
Nikon promised us a "late April" shipment of its D3100 replacement, and sure enough, it looks to have met that self-imposed deadline. The black D3200 kit is now shipping from Best Buy warehouses, and while a litany of other reputable e-tailers have the unit listed (check our links below), we're seeing it backordered elsewhere. That said, these things are obviously trickling into the places that matter most, and determined to-be buyers can almost certainly call around to find one in stock. If you're still on the fence, have a look at our hands-on here, and head on past the break for a lovely unboxing video tour.
PSA: Sprint's LTE-infused Galaxy Nexus now available online and in stores
Google itself may have thrown the pricing situation out of whack by offering up a contract-free GSM version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus for just $399, but those adhering to Sprint's plans can't make use of that, anyway. The other CDMA / LTE-infused Galaxy Nexus is now shipping from Sprint, several months ahead of its first LTE rollout. $199.99 on a two-year contract nets you a device, while you can snag one for $549.99 sans any strings. It's also available in stores nationwide for those who'd prefer to try before they buy, and yes, Sprint users who activate a Google Wallet account within a week of activation will receive a $10 instant credit and an additional $40 within three weeks. Just try to ignore that Galaxy S III that'll launch next month, okay? (It's not a pure Google device, anyway.)
HP ships 27-inch Z1 all-in-one workstation, touts 'power without the tower'
We'll hand it to HP -- "power without the tower" is pretty fab. And so is that drop-dead gorgeous 27-inch IPS panel dominating the front of its Z1 workstation. Designed to handle stresses normally thrown exclusively at floor-sitting wind tunnels, the Z1 offers up Intel Core i3 or Xeon server-class CPUs, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, USB 3.0 sockets, a slot-loading Blu-ray writer, SSD / RAID options, support for over a billion colors and a seductive starting tag of just $1,899. Intrigued? Hit the source link to get your order in.
Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera now shipping for $149
We've had the opportunity to spend time with an early version of the Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera prior to its CES unveiling, and now the company is finally ready to get the product out to the masses. Starting today, the bantam security camera is shipping from the outfit's site for $149, with that tally netting you a USB-powered camera with automatic night vision, HD-quality video, two-way audio support, optional DVR-style recording ($9.95+ per month) and always-on access. As stated in our review, users can access a live stream of what it's watching (or they're watching, if using multiple cams) from any web browser, iPhone or Android-based device, and privacy advocates should know that all streams are "encrypted with bank-level security, and streamed through the cloud, not your computer, so it's safe in case of any computer trouble or theft." Head on past the break for the full spiel, or hit the source link to get your order in.
Logitech UE Air Speaker brings AirPlay streaming in April for $400
The AirPlay market doesn't seem to be shrinking anytime soon, giving Logitech ample opportunity to tread on ground already marked by the likes of JBL and Klipsch. This morning, the outfit's introducing the Logitech UE Air Speaker with AirPlay technology, enabling uncompressed audio streams to flow from one's iTunes library, iPad, iPhone or iPod touch right to the home stereo. You'll need both the boombox and your AirPlay source connected to the same WiFi network, after which you can pipe sine waves to its pair of tweeters and woofers. Users will need to download the (gratis) Logitech UE Air app for setup, which will be infinitely more useful when the speaker itself starts to ship to Europe and the US this April for $399.99.
