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Puma Phone hits the FCC, its internals ripped asunder
Poor, poor Puma Phone. Barely we knew but now look upon you, chassis splayed by the rough, bitter hands at the FCC, ripped to bits like so many Marlboro wrappers. Your sacrifice is not in vain. When once we touched your plastic outsides we were told that no plans for a North American release had been made, but this official approval surely means that you'll be coming to our shores soon enough. So rest in peace, stylish featurephone -- not just in pieces.
AoC's Godslayer going retail with exclusive items
In an era where more and more game companies are opting to deliver expansions (and full games) solely through digital downloads, it's refreshing to see a major game update getting the retail box treatment. Rise of the Godslayer, the first expansion for Funcom's Age of Conan fantasy MMORPG, will be coming to game outlets near you in the form of a deluxe box featuring the new game content plus the full version of the original Hyperborian Adventures release. "We are proud and excited about Rise of the Godslayer, and combining the expansion pack with the very latest version of the original game makes for what is undoubtedly the ultimate retail release of Age of Conan," said Morten Larssen, Funcom Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Additionally, players purchasing the retail pack will receive an exclusive puma pet as well as a starter package of unique in-game items that aren't available elsewhere. Stay with Massively for further Age of Conan coverage, including full details on the expansion release dates and exclusive offers as they become available.
GM's two-seater EN-V concept makes 'urban mobility' hip again
We'll confess -- the Segway did a lot of damage to urban mobility as a whole, but General Motors (of all companies) might have just mended a wound we thought un-mendable. Unveiling today in Shanghai, the two-seater EN-V concept is a play on last year's altogether riveting (albeit forgotten) P.U.M.A., and yes, it seems as if some of those design cues have worked their way into this one as well. The Electric Networked-Vehicle was engineered to "alleviate concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability, air quality and affordability for tomorrow's cities," and they're also fully capable of transforming this place we call Earth into a next-generation Epcot. A trio of designs made their debut -- Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh) -- and we're told that twin electric motors and "dynamic stabilization technology" allow 'em to turn on a dime and operate autonomously (!) using integrated GPS. The Li-ion batteries can be juiced from a conventional wall outlet, and the expected range is around 40 kilometers on a single charge. Best of all? There's built in wireless of some sort, enabling your fellow EN-V owner-friends to keep track of your late-night escapades if you so allow. We know -- you'd buy one of each if these were available today, but mum's the word on when (or if) they'll ever hit the production line; meanwhile, expect something called a "Malibu" to remain in the product pipeline for the better part of next decade. %Gallery-88921%
Puma Phone hands-on
Chalk one up for Sagem and Puma who apparently just want a cell to be fun -- and somehow, we're right there with them. The obviously-named Puma Phone launched today, and for a pretty basic handset, it was drawing some reasonably large crowds at the booth. That might be thanks to some of the silly stuff like a calculator that teases you when you try an operation it deems too trivial, a pet puma on the device called Dylan (who shows up on-screen when you leave your handset untouched for a while), and an audio player with a turntable you can actually scratch -- but the real draw is probably the solar panel around back. It's quoted at a respectable 15 minutes of talk time or two hours of music playback for every hour in the sun, meaning you should theoretically be able to charge the phone even while blasting tunes (of course, the proof is in the pudding when it comes to battery claims, as always). It's not going to replace your Pre, but the Puma set is definitely geared toward a youthful active market that focuses on sports and entertainment, and you've got to admit that it's driven by a brand everybody recognizes. Sure, it's simple; sure it is at its most basic a feature phone; but all that aside, we just liked the experience of using it. We're feeling that if the companies behind this thing align themselves with the right carrier when it launches in Europe this April, it'll actually do pretty well. No plans for it to land in North America yet, but we're told that if its launch goes well it could cross the pond later this year. Follow on for a full tour and gallery of the goods!%Gallery-85726%
Puma joins forces with Sagem to birth the Puma Phone
Looks like the rumors we heard were true: august cordwainer Puma has teamed up with Sagem to make a phone -- and it's quite a looker, too. The Puma Phone (as it's called) is a lightweight little guy that boasts an integrated solar cell for charging and charge indicator to let you know how you're doing on juice, a QVGA TFT 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen, plus a 3.2 megapixel cam with LED flash and 6x zoom. It also packs in GPS, a compass and geotagging, plus it's got a host of 'sporty' features (pedometer, stopwatch and GPS tracker)... if you're into an active lifestyle. This bad boy can be strapped to your arm when you're on the go, but don't blame us if it doesn't score you any points with the passersby. The Puma Phone will be available throughout Europe in April of this year -- no word on pricing or availability elsewhere yet. The full press release is after the break.
Sagem and Puma tease with a glimpse of the Puma Phone M1
Sagem and Puma's presser isn't until tomorrow, but they were kind enough to allow us this sneak peek at what exactly they're up to here at MWC. From the corners and sides it's pretty evident that the Puma Phone M1 is a touchscreen affair and sports a large solar panel on its rear side. Colors? So far we've seen black, though, that's no reason to not hope for more, right? Check back later today for the specs and some thorough hands-on treatment of this sporty entry from Sagem and Puma. %Gallery-85561%
Pumaphone coming next week, solar power in the mix?
Puma (and partner Sagem) have thrown up a teaser site ahead of the launch of the company's first-ever phone next week -- a trend being voraciously adopted by designer brands lately -- but sadly, there's not a lot to see at the moment other than some unhelpful videos (one of which you can peep after the break). That may not have always been the case, though: Recombu is reporting that there'd previously been an all-too-brief glimpse of what appeared to be a touhscreen phone with a solar panel aboard in one of the videos, but Sagem eventually pulled the offending segment and asked that the site take down its screen capture. That's pretty lame, but the good news is that we've but a few days to wait before this thing gets all official on us. Let's hope for sun in Barcelona, eh? Update: MobileCrunch managed to snap the phone, too -- and unlike Recombu, they're not backing down.
This Forza 3 post has been brought to you by Puma
We guess a lot of sneaker lovers also enjoy racing games, because Microsoft has announced that Puma will be an exclusive marketing partner for Forza 3. The result of this partnership ensures you'll be gawking at Puma ads throughout Forza 3 and guarantees Puma driver Natacha Gachnang will be the face of the game across Europe. The partnership will even extend beyond the game, helping to create a Forza 3-branded Puma shoe and enveloping employees who are demonstrating Forza 3 at special promotional events leading up until its October 27 release in – you guessed it! – Puma gear. We think that's kind of good thing though, because the last time we saw the game it was tough to understand the publicists through those big driving helmets they all had on.
Engadget Podcast 141 - 04.10.2009
That's right everyone -- it's the Engadget Podcast. If you're down with gadgets, chatting, and just kicking it ill, you're in the right place. Hear your friends Josh, Paul, and Nilay discuss the week in technology, and expound on their belief that the P.U.M.A. is a dangerous rickshaw, Acer has stepped up to the netbook plate in a big way, and Microsoft might not be totally on the level with its new ads. Ready to get the blood boiling? Dip your toes into the jacuzzi of chat that is the podcast, and enjoy! Note: There appears to be some very weird timing issues going on with our audio in this installment. If it seems like we're talking over each other more than normal, don't be too alarmed. We're looking into it now. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Back In Black 01:40 - Engadget's wild ride in the P.U.M.A. 15:35 - Peapod the friendly Neighborhood Electric Vehicle in the flesh 24:40 - Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo 35:15 - Acer announces Aspire Timeline thin'n'lights -- $699 to $899 46:15 - Microsoft's second Laptop Hunters commercial: Giampaulo buys an HP HDX Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Engadget's wild ride in the P.U.M.A.
Against all odds, GM and Segway let us inside their precious P.U.M.A. prototype, and we went for a quick jaunt down 18th St. We couldn't drive it, unfortunately, but there was plenty of action to be had from the passenger side. Starting from a rest on four wheels -- the main powered wheels and the front two "safety" wheels; we never touched the back two to the ground -- the contraption shoves itself up onto two wheels quite gracefully, with the passenger compartment moving slightly independently from the wheelbase and floor. It was a bit odd, but not at all unpleasant, and we were soon zipping down the road. Since the P.U.M.A. is self-balancing, we felt way less force when accelerating and decelerating than we would in a car, since our body was being "leaned" into it instead of pulled along. Turning on a dime is quite fun as well, and we could see this thing making itself quite at home on city streets. While it remains to be seen if GM and Segway can commercialize this in time, and for the right price, we're fairly enamored -- at least it's something different, and it's already twice as interesting as Segway ever managed to be. Camera work and moral support courtesy of Autoblog Green's Sebastian Blanco.
GM and Segway's P.U.M.A. makes its stage debut (with video!)
We just lived, breathed and experienced GM and Segway's joint press conference, where they "unveiled" the P.U.M.A. one more time for effect. Larry Burns and Jim Norrod from GM and Segway, respectively, talked up what they each brought to the table, and described the vehicle's inception as a partnership. Segway obviously brought the two-wheel mojo, and seems responsible for most of what's being shown at the moment. As opposed to the Segway's tilt-and-cringe system of navigation, the P.U.M.A. has a more regular steering wheel, but while they're currently demonstrating it with Segway-style acceleration, they plan on swapping that for "Nintendo-style" buttons behind the wheel for acceleration and braking. For GM's part, they plan to integrate its "connected vehicles" technologies to improve safety and efficiency -- and we might not see P.U.M.A. on the road until they can pull it off. The car will not only communicate with other cars and with GPS, but will sense and stop for pedestrians. They plan to show a connected version that will be available for test drives by Real Actual Humans this coming fall, and then next year will come the scariest of all unveilings: GM styling. Right now this is just a chassis, GM plans on slapping on all sorts of "fashionable" candy shells, and if the incredibly unrealistic and "futuristic" renders we saw are any indication (see the gallery below), we'd really rather do without. The biggest obstacle to commercialization, however, is the lack of infrastructure: P.U.M.A. in its current incarnation is designed for for bike lanes, and the first cities to get it will be ones with existing, comprehensive bike lanes -- not as much of an obstacle in Europe, but quite the stretch for most American cities. Still, the mathematics are quite alluring, with a 35 mile range at 35 mph for a 35 cent charge -- even us mouth-breathing Statesiders can understand that. Update: We added a video after the break, along with a couple outdoor shots in the gallery. The thing really does look and operate like a two-person, sit-down, Woz-free Segway. You have been warned.
GM and Segway's P.U.M.A. unveiled and no, this isn't a joke
GM and Segway's joint venture is probably best described as a rickshaw without all the charm. The self-balancing Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (P.U.M.A.) can reach top speeds of 35 MPH, has a lithium battery that lasts up to 35 miles with a single charge, and features vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication for potentially reducing the number of accidents. No word on when or if this'll actually go into production but it's expected to be priced at just 25% that of a regular automobile. Hit up the read link for more pics, including a concept model that's just a teensy bit more reasonable. We'll be at the launch event tomorrow to see it for ourselves and make sure it's not all some bizarre dream.
PS3 Fanboy hands-on: dress
You might think that something called dress is all about frills, plunging necklines and eating disorders, but that's really only half the story. There's more to the modestly named paid service from Japan, including some rather odd yet somehow relevant mini-game tie-ins (you know, stuff that actual gamers care about). And from the looks of things, there's only going to be more coming.So, dress in a nutshell is part fashion sim, part clothing ad and part mini-game collection. It's an interesting mix to say the least; however, after having "played" with it for awhile, it's a combination that just doesn't seem to work. In retrospect, it's still very much a young service which will be expanding with new content as time goes by, though there are still so many missing elements to this service that could've made it a great addition to something like Home. All in all, it's one great experiment and we're interested in the concept of this unique collaborative effort. Hopefully you're still with us on this and reading on to find out more as we go inside dress. That ... that doesn't sound right.%Gallery-42244%
HP's Puma-based Pavilion dv7z now available
HP is adding to its Pavilion Puma-based offerings with the dv7z, a 17-inch version of the AMD-centric laptops. The new model features a variety of configurations, starting with an Athlon X2 dual core CPU (1.9GHz up to 2.2GHz), up to 4GB of RAM, an ATI Radeon HD 3200 or 3450 graphics chipset, storage options from 160GB to 500GB, and a vast array of screen resolutions, optical drives, and networking add-ons. The systems start at $949.99, and are available for customization and ordering right now.[Via Computer Monger]
PlayStation dress collaborates with PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro
One would assume anything named dress would at least involve a dress, but not so in this case, at least not yet. Announced late last year, dress is an "interactive fashion magazine" that will allow fashionistas to check out the latest apparel from real designers. What differentiates dress from more traditional publications is that it will contain "true to life representation of fashion models" and will also "simulate all fabrics and color options" for each piece of clothing and allow users to combine them. Eventually, it will even allow budding fashion designers the share their creations via the PSN and host virtual runway shows.The first collaboration was announced at Pitti Uomo, the annual menswear trade show held in Florence, with PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro. The designer thinks dress "fits the innovative PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro philosophy." Yasuhiro's inspiration for this season? "Global warming and the dramatic effect it is having on our planet." Some of his creations are shown at his website and you can actually buy pieces from the collection at flagship PUMA stores in major cities. What do you guys think? Is there an audience for this? Is this the beginning of "lifestyle gaming", casual gaming's more mature cousin? [Via Maxconsole]
HP rolls out Puma-based Compaq 6735b, 6535b business laptops
HP has already busted out a bundle of Puma-based laptops and tablets, but it looks like it's not done with AMD's latest platform just yet, with it now rolling out a pair of new Compaq laptops aimed at business users. Those include the 15.4-inch Compaq 6735b and the 14.1-inch 6535b, each of which will come loaded with your choice of AMD Turion X2, X2 Ultra, or Athlon X2 processors, along with ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, support for up to 8GB of RAM (though only 2GB and 3GB options are configurable from HP), a max 160GB hard drive, and an optional second hard drive in place of the DVD burner if you so choose. You can also expect a WXGA resolution on each, with WSXGA+ also available on the 15.4-inch model and WXGA+ an option on the 14.1-inch (both have both BrightView and anti-glare options, as well). From the looks of it, you can get your hands on either one right now, with the base configuration for each setting you back $779.[Via Laptoping]
HP's Puma-based Pavilion dv5z laptops now on sale
It's safe to say the flood gates are officially open, as just a fortnight after HP's Pavilion tx2500z tablet got upgraded with Puma-based innards, along comes the Pavilion dv5z series to join the fold. Available for ordering right now at HP's website, users can grab one of these lappies with an AMD Athlon / Turion X2 (Ultra) dual-core processor, a 15.4-inch panel, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, ATI's Radeon HD 3200 / HD 3450 graphics, integrated WiFi / Bluetooth, up to 320GB of hard drive space and your choice of a DVD burner or Blu-ray drive. For the full list of specifications and to get one of these headed your way, head southwest to the read link and be prepared to hand over a bare minimum of $699.99.[Via Laptoping, thanks Danijel]
HP Pavilion tx2500z Puma-based tablet PC available now
For those of you looking to get into HP's Pavilion tx2500z Puma-based tablet PC, the time has come. This "echo" inlaid-design ultraportable sports a 12.1-inch 1280 x 800 swivel touch screen with handwriting capture, AMD Turion Dual-Core processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics chipset, and WiFi. Other features of note include a fingerprint reader, webcam, 5-in-1 media card reader, and 3 USB ports. Unfortunately -- and we think this should be a standard on subnotebooks starting yesterday -- no built-in broadband wireless. That said, you can add a Verizon Wireless V740 ExpressCard during customization checkout. The base configuration will run you a somewhat reasonable $1,049. Go to it, tablet scribblers![Via Computermonger]
Packard Bell busts out new Puma laptops, trio of new desktop lines
Packard Bell unleashed a big ol' set of machines in Italy today. Among the new laptops, the EasyNote RS65 13.3-incher cued some unusual design elements like red and chrome highlights and circular touchpad. It packs an Intel Centrino 2 and dedicated video card with DVI and HDMI. Other machines include the multimedia-friend ML (15.4-inch) and SL (17-inch) based on the Puma platform. Also of note are the MT (15.4-inch) and ST (17-inch) laptops, which include a "Battery Boost" button that allows you to switch between dedicated video and integrated Intel GMA chipsets in order to conserve unwired time. Finally, the TN line (pictured above) is set to appeal to a younger audience with low prices and multimedia features. In the desktop category, Packard Bell intro'd new i-Media, family-Extreme, and i-Max machines that run the gamut from diminutive budget boxes to gamer-friendly powerhouses. Peep the read link (in Italian) to get a deeper scoop.
Foursome of AMD Puma-based laptops shown at Computex
Sure, checking out the benchmarks on the Puma-based Satellite A305 is all fine and dandy, but we just know you're craving more. Right? Good. Here we have a solid foursome of AMD Puma-packed notebooks, each one from a different walk of life. As expected, details were pretty limited at the kiosk, but at least it gives us hope that these machines (or something similar) should be hitting store shelves in the not-too-terribly-distant future. Go on down to the read link to check out the spruced up HP 6535us, unnamed Toshiba, Acer TravelMate 5530 and one other shy guy that managed to keep hidden.
