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VIA Technologies' $49 Android barebones PC available for pre-order, ships in July
VIA Technologies' small -- but not bite-sized -- Neo-ITX-based barebones Android PC is now up for pre-order. Folks willing to plunk down $49 now will be among the first to play with the APC's version of Gingerbread that's been modified for use with a mouse and keyboard. When can you expect the return on investment? Well, it's slated to ship in early July, meaning you'll get your hands on its 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 2GB of storage before the end of summer. [Thanks, Nikolas]
US Cellular announces its Galaxy S III plans, pre-orders begin June 12, retail availability in July
The flood continues. We knew as of early this morning that regional carrier US Cellular would be carrying the Samsung Galaxy S III, and we now have a few more details to add to our interest. The flagship device will be available for pre-order June 12th and is going to be in stores and online sometime in July. The pricing hasn't been announced yet, but US Cellular mentions that this will be known as soon as the presale begins, and we wouldn't be shocked if it fell right inline with Sprint's price points ($199 for 16GB and $249 for 32GB). Once the purchasing magic begins, you'll have your choice of a 16GB model in Marble White or Pebble Blue, or a 32GB version in only the paler shade. The carrier also plans to start pushing its fledgling LTE network into new areas to support its latest handset coup. For a few more details, most of which will probably sound pretty familiar at this point, check out the PR after the break.
Quantum Conundrum coming to PC June 21
Square Enix has finally laid down a launch date for Quantum Conundrum: The game will arrive on Windows via Steam on June 21. You can preorder the game right now either as a standard edition, or as a "season pass," with three exclusive Team Fortress 2 items, a downloadable soundtrack, and all of the future puzzle packs.Preordering the game also earns you 10 percent off, and you'll be entered into a sweepstakes to win the opportunity to have your portrait hung up in the in-game world. Snazzy! Quantum Conundrum will also arrive on Microsoft's XBLA and PSN, though Square is only sticking with "summer" as a date for those versions so far.
Amazon puts Samsung Galaxy S III up for US pre-orders, offers a slice of quad-core, unlocked utopia
Sufficiently enamored with Samsung's Galaxy S III that you've got to have one in the US before anyone else, and you don't want it sullied by carrier customizations in the trip across the Pacific? Amazon has your back with pre-orders for 16GB versions in both Marble White and Pebble Blue. Either will keep the speedy Exynos 4 Quad and will stay unlocked, so you can hop networks to your heart's content. Do expect to pay a steep premium for being the first kid on your block: at $800, you're spending a lot to get an HSPA+ model on June 1st when the LTE-toting, cheaper (if carrier-locked and possibly part-swapped) editions should reach the US days later.
Sony opens up PSN to digital download pre-orders
Pre-orders are nothing new in the realm of video gaming -- they're the requisite hype before the release day-storm. On the digital download front, however, that anticipatory frenzy hasn't gotten much major industry support, until now. Sony, purveyor of all things PlayStation, has just tossed a bone to its many PSN subscribers, offering the option to purchase unreleased titles in advance of their planned launches. First up for the newly announced service is Sorcery, one of the company's Move-compatible game due out later this month. Gamers who opt-in for the arrangement will receive an unlock key that should allow their consoles to begin the download process in tandem with the software's official debut. Hit up the source below for the full FAQ.
Samsung's Galaxy S III reportedly notches nine million pre-orders worldwide
Wondering how the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S III is going? According to the Korea Economic Daily, an unnamed Samsung executive revealed that the followup to its previous fastest selling phone has already racked up nine million pre-orders around the world. That would put it nearly halfway to the 20 million Galaxy S II's Samsung reported shipped back in February, and all without even officially moving a unit in the US yet. It's not that we're jealous of the rest of the world's abilities to lay their cash down for some quad-core Exynos action while we wait to hear about the likely (still awesome) dual-core LTE-equipped US carrier variants due this summer, but yes -- we're jealous the rest of the world already has the option of choosing Samsung's latest flagship phone. Once they do start shipping (assuming there's no delays in customs) there should be plenty to go around however, as Reuters' translation also indicates the company's factory is already cranking out five million units every month.
Samsung Galaxy S III now available for pre-order on T-Mobile UK
Sure, we'd seen a handful of other carriers in the UK have Sammy's GS3 up for pre-order, but that circle wouldn't be complete without a certain Magenta network. Worry not, though, as T-Mobile's joined the pre-order race and is now ready to swap your cash for a spanking-new Galaxy slab. Per usual -- at least across the pond -- you're likely to find a deal that's perfectly suited for you, with T-Mobile UK pricing the device as low £10.50 per month (£300 up front) and as high as £41 with the Full Monty on a 24-month deal -- of course, there's a plethora of different bundles to choose from. The carrier's site does note that if you order the goods now, unlike those lucky folks getting it on the 29th, delivery here is set for sometime after May 30th.
Samsung Galaxy S III up for pre-order in the UK from Vodafone, O2 and Three
We knew it was coming, but in case you had any doubts, you'll be glad to know Vodafone, Three and O2 have opened up the pre-order doors to those looking to grab the newest Galaxy on the block. As we're accustomed to seeing from carriers across the pond, the trio's pricing Sammy's S III with enough flexibility to fit a slew of different budgets; for example, you can snag the 16GB model at no cost with a £41 monthly plan on Vodafone. Of course, O2 and Three offer similar plans, with others ranging as high as £219 for the handset but with less of a commitment. For all those details, point your browser toward one of the source links below and choose the deal best suited for you.
Kickstarter talks to us about product 'pre-orders,' won't force refunds when creators flake
Kickstarter has proven an incredibly effective venue for connecting project creators with monetary support -- inventors pitch directly to consumers, indie filmmakers meet indie producers and food trucks get the financial push necessary to take their restaurants to the road. With the latter two, backers don't necessarily expect goods in return, save for an overvalued t-shirt, bumper sticker or film credit. When it comes to electronics, however, funders are often promised a first-off-the-line gadget -- one that may never arrive at their door. One oft-overlooked, yet critical detail should help curb expectations, while also serving to filter out pledges that are motivated by the pre-order promise, from those that offer financial support without a guaranteed return. Like it or not, all transactions fall into that second category. Pre-order offers may go unfulfilled, and some pledges may be reduced to donations, if a project creator ends up unable to deliver an item as intended. And such situations may not prompt a refund, souring the experience for an increasing number of hopeful device owners. Join us past the break for an explanation from the Kickstarter team, and a closer look at some recent examples.
Cubify's 3D printer up for pre-order, wants to make you make trinkets
3D systems trumpeted its forthcoming Cube printer back at CES, and it looks like its easy-on-the-eye curves are nearly ready for your earnest crafting. The good part is a lack of them. If you've assembled a more typical printer in the last ten years, you should be able to put these associated pieces together. It's a sharp contrast to plenty of 3D printers that more closely resemble an engineer's tantrum. The printer is priced up at $1,299, so it's not the cheapest, but we are promised a pretty concrete May 25th release date. Hit up the source to place your order, alongside some extra color cartridges. How would you make those turtleshell racers without some blue and red?
Nokia Lumia 900 blushes, new magenta version revealed at Finnish e-tailer
Aside from a very desirable white edition, Nokia's Lumia 900 hasn't quite caught up with the color explosion that characterized the Lumia 800's launch. It looks like it's getting there, with a magenta variant spotted at Finnish retailer, Gigantti. At the moment, availability is posited for the vague area of May -- matching those mid-month dates we've been hearing -- but the site is still taking pre-orders ahead of any concrete launch day. You can volunteer your details at the source below.
HTC EVO 4G LTE pre-order page goes live on Sprint's website, fanboy early birds rejoice
April's been kind to fans of Sprint's forthcoming HTC EVO 4G LTE, as it's brought us leaked pics of the handset and its ruby-red kickstand, proffered a video preview of it in action, and even gave a glimpse of how it's made. We also found out that pre-orders weren't set to start until May 7th, but Sprint's gone ahead and put the pre-order page up a bit early. See for yourself at the source link below, where forgetful Now Network customers can get Sprint to send them an email reminder to plunk down their hard-earned cash and reserve the new EVO in a couple weeks. Wouldn't want to forget and be among that second wave of owners, now would you? [Thanks, Chris]
PSA: Sniper Elite V2 demo available on Steam now
Console players have had access to it for a while, but if you're on the PC and waiting to play Sniper Elite V2 the wait's over. The demo has appeared on Steam, weighing in at about 2 gigs, and should give you a good idea of what to expect when the game drops on May 1.PC users may have gotten the demo late, but they're getting rewarded with an exclusive 6v6 team deathmatch mode, along with all of the game's other options.Steam also says pre-orders will get two special weapons, the SVT-40 and the Karabiner, presumably alongside the bonus mission adjective to, you know, kill Hitler. That guy's still hanging around?
Adobe unveils CS6 and subscription-based Creative Cloud service, up for pre-order now (video)
Adobe's biggest day of 2012? Go ahead, don't be afraid to call it what it (probably) is. For starters, the outfit is introducing Creative Suite 6 to the world in formal fashion, with 14 applications either unveiled or refreshed. Photoshop CS6 is graduating from beta -- seeing an update that'll provide "near instant results" thanks to the Mercury Graphics Engine -- while Content-Aware Patch and Content-Aware Move are sure to please artists suffering from the "Surely you can fix this in post!" clientele backlash. Adobe Muse is happily entering the scene for the first time, described as a "radical tool that'll enables designers to create and publish HTML5 web sites without writing code." (We're still waiting for Flash to comment.) In related news, those who aren't up for paying $1,299 (and up) for one of the new suites can try something a bit different: monthly installments. That's coming courtesy of Creative Cloud, an quasi-new initiative designed to harness the power of cloud-based app distribution and streaming in a way that'll make CS6 more accessible than any of the packs that came before. You can tap into CS6's amenities over your broadband connection for $74.99 per month, while those who agree to an annual subscription can get in for $49.99 per month. To be clear, that provides unbridled access to any CS6 tool: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and AfterEffects, and the rest of the gang. If you're jonesing for Photoshop alone, that one will be available for $29.99 per month (no contract) or $19.99 per month (annual agreement). There's no set release date just yet, but we're told to expect the new goods "within 30 days," and pre-orders seem to be a go. Head on down to the source links for more details on each individual aspect, and catch a promo video for the cloud-based subscription offering just after the break.
First ASUS G55VW gaming laptop configuration spotted and priced
ASUS's G-series has been warming the laps of gamers for a while, whether it's the smart G74 or the elder statesman G73JH. The newest splinter of the G-team, however, is the G55 line. Right now, it's the G55VW-DS71 that's just had its specifications splayed out for all to see. It'll be a quad-core i7-3610QM Ivy Bridge chip calling the shots, with a 2GB NVIDIA GTX 660M providing graphical backup. A solid 12GB of DDR3, 1,333MHz RAM and a 750GB HDD will come with the configuration mentioned here. There are two drive bays, though, so you can set it up to your liking, and higher spec versions of this 15.6" machine will be coming in the future. It's only up for pre-order at the moment, but $1,475 will make sure it finds its way to you once released, hopefully around the end of this month -- the Intel gods willing.
Axel free to all in Twisted Metal tomorrow, Sweet Tooth skin for Starhawk previewed
For those of you still firing missiles in Twisted Metal (but didn't think of pre-ordering it ahead of time), good news! Axel was formerly only available as a pre-order bonus, but as of tomorrow, April 18, his vehicle will be available to all. You too can run around on two wheels, pushing smaller vehicles around with your special moves. The PSBlog has also posted a video, embedded below, of the Sweet Tooth skin going to Starhawk when it launches early next month. Every (new) copy of Twisted Metal has a code for the Outcast skin, so you'll just have to punch that in when the Starhawk comes out.
Sprint confirms Galaxy Nexus release date: coming April 22nd for $200, preorders open now
Remember CES? It feels like an age since Sprint went official with the Google flagship, but now it's finally -- almost -- here. Yep, anyone unhappy with the Verizon variant can now lay claim to the Now Network's version of the Galaxy Nexus, which is up for preorder now, priced at a smidgen under $200, and set to arrive next week. As an added incentive, Google Wallet dabblers will get $10 credit from the start, with an additional 40 bucks given after three weeks. Commence throwing that physical money at the screen once you've hit up the source below. [Thanks Korey]
Rogers offers HTC One X for pre-order in Canada, $170 on contract through April 30th
You never thought that Canada would let the UK steal all of that gorgeous HTC One X limelight, did you? While Rogers can't compete with the phone's April 5th arrival at T-Mobile and Orange in the land of tea and crumpets, the Canadian carrier is currently offering HTC's flagship device for pre-order. Now through April 30th, customers may pick up the dual-core Snapdragon S4, LTE version of the handset for $170 on a three-year plan. Naturally, we're just as excited as you to put this variant through its paces, but if it performs anything like the HTC One S, we're certainly in for a wild ride.
AT&T now accepting Lumia 900 pre-orders, only those seeking cyan or black need apply (update)
Friendly reminder here, folks. As expected, AT&T has opened the pre-order floodgates for the Nokia Lumia 900 today ahead of its April 8th release in the US. Interested parties can secure their reservation for the Window Phone 7.5-loaded device at AT&T's retail or online stores. While you'll be able to snag one in either matter black or cyan blue, we'd be remiss not to point out that the white version (slated for an April 22nd release) isn't yet on offer. If you'll recall, parting with $100 and agreeing to a two-year contract is all it'll cost ya' to get in on the action. Be sure to let us know if you plan on reaching for the "light" in the comments. Update: Wowza, if $100 wasn't already easy on the wallet, Walmart is offering the device up for only $50 with a two-year agreement -- online only, though. You'll find more info at the source link below. Update 2: Ready for more good news? According to AT&T's website, Lumia 900 pre-orders are currently slated to "arrive on or before April 6th" -- a full two days before its official launch. Update 3: This bad boy's free after a $100 online rebate for new AT&T customers. That's a serious play for signups. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
TiVo Premiere DVRs may get more storage soon, $149 500GB units appear for preorders
Just like the initial run of TiVo Premiere DVRs two years ago, it appears that a refreshed version has been spotted at retail prior to any official announcement from the company. TiVo may be waiting for its official birthday March 31st to unwrap the new models, but a poster at TiVo Community has dug up listings at Amazon and JR.com showing the new TCD746500 TiVo Premiere with 500GB HDD retailing for $149 (with 1 year service plan at $14.99, of course). That can be compared to the original's 320GB drive that's currently selling at around $80. The listings hint at shipments beginning in the next few weeks, while these drives certainly won't sate the hunger of those pursuing a 1TB Premiere XL or quad tuner Elite model, a claimed extra 30 or so hours of HD recording could be worth waiting for, even at the higher price. We're not seeing indications of any other differences yet, but we'll keep you updated if more information becomes available.[Thanks, @BrennokBob]
