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Sharp Galapagos media tablets will bring 3G and EPUB content to US e-reader market in 2011
We like a bit of ambition around these parts and Sharp's plans for entering the US e-reader battlefield reek of the stuff. The Galapagos tablets that recently enjoyed their Japanese debut are going to be retooled, according to the Mainichi Daily News, to include new 3G radios for the internet-addicted US consumer, while the primary content format will also be switched from the proprietary XMDF in Japan to the almost universally compatible EPUB. Content partnerships are said to be brewing as we type, because, quite naturally, Sharp intends to have its own e-bookstore for Americans as well. After the Yanks, the company's said to be looking into bringing its 5.5- and 10.8-inch tablets to China, India, and Brazil. Highly ambitious indeed.
Samsung's phone division now also in charge of PMPs, Galaxy Player coming in Q2 2011
Yes, CES 2011 will be graced by the presence of Samsung's new 4-inch Galaxy Player, but our pockets, it would seem, might have to wait for it quite a bit longer. The Wall Street Journal today reports that, while Samsung intends to roll out the new Android PMP in its home market of Korea shortly after CES next week, the rest of the world is unlikely to be able to buy it until "the April to June period." Aside from its lack of phone functionality and a Super AMOLED panel, the new Galaxy Player is an almost identical replica of the company's wildly successful Galaxy S smartphone, which apparently has been no accident. The WSJ also lets us in on the knowledge that Samsung's phone division has taken over responsibility for building and selling its portable media player range, hence why we're now seeing such major overlaps between the two categories -- something that might very well continue into the future.
2011 to bring 200 PCs combining GeForce GPUs and Sandy Bridge, first laptops to be quad-core
What's NVIDIA got up its sleeve for CES, you ask? A whole host of Sandy Bridge laptop and desktop machines, by the sound of its latest press release. The green giant of graphics has proudly announced a new record of 200 OEM design wins for Intel's incoming CPUs. The big draw of Sandy Bridge is that it's the first processor to include an integrated GPU embedded directly within its die, which is projected to improve power efficiency and overall performance -- though clearly it hasn't been impressive enough to get PC vendors to abandon discrete graphics chips. If anything, they seem to be going in the other direction and insisting on a discrete GPU as well. In other news, whether with or without NVIDIA's help, the first Sandy Bridge laptops will feature quad-core parts. Such is the word directly from Intel, with one insider adding that the dual-core debutants will get their chance a month after CES, around the middle of February. Skip past the break for NVIDIA's boastful PR or hit the source for more on Intel's plans.
iPad 2 will have rear and front-facing cameras, say multiple sources
Hey, it's December, what else are you going to do but monger rumors of the next iPad? Reuters has rounded up no less than four sources from within Apple's component suppliers, all expressing their belief that the hallowed tablet will be refreshed some time in early 2011. A pair of the tipsters could only go so far as to say that production at places like Wintek and Simplo is expected to ramp up in the first quarter, while the other two were more decisive in identifying the cause for the extra activity as Apple's next tablet iteration. As to the future iPad's camera or cameras, one source says it'll feature both a back-mounted and a front-facing module, with Largan and Genius identified as having received new orders from Cupertino for churning out imagers. Notably, the latter is currently also supplying the iPhone 4's photon collector and there's no confirmation that whatever they produce will inevitably land in an iPad 2, but the tea leaves seem to be in agreement: parts are targeted for a February shipment in preparation for an April iPad refresh. Whether the new slate arrives at that time, however, will be another matter altogether.
Toshiba planning trio of tablets for CES: one each for Android, Chrome OS and Windows 7
So what if the Libretto exited the common consciousness almost as quickly as it entered it while the Folio 100 was bad enough to get its major UK retailer to discontinue it? Toshiba promised it'd have a family of tablets for us by the end of 2011's first quarter and the plan apparently hasn't changed. DigiTimes is reporting today that three new Toshiba slates are set for their debut at CES in a month's time, two of them equipped with 10.1-inch screens and a third sized at 11.6 inches. Microsoft's Windows 7 and Google's Chrome OS and Android will each be responsible for providing the operating environment on one of these new tablets, indicating that Toshiba -- much like the rest of the world -- has yet to make up its mind about what the best tablet OS out there is. We should know more in just a few short weeks.
Vizio and OnLive mulling subscription-based video services for next year
As if we didn't already know that video on demand was the hot new ticket, the Wall Street Journal is today reporting that a couple more companies are ready to throw their hats into the ring. OnLive, the cloud gaming upstart, has confirmed its intention to offer up a subscription-based movie streaming service at some point next year, while HDTV vendor Vizio is said to also be looking at its options. What makes these new guys intriguing (aside from the fact that Vizio sells a lot of TVs in the US) is the general feeling among media companies that Netflix is growing uncomfortably big and should be diversified away from. Well, whatever happens, neither we nor content distributors should be strapped for VOD choice come 2011. Hit the source link for a more expansive look at the current situation.
Verizon hosting 4G LTE news conference tomorrow to discuss launch plans
Guess what people, Verizon's LTE network launch is really for real and the carrier has now scheduled a news conference for tomorrow where it'll discuss its December plans in more detail. Tony Melone, VZW's chief tech officer, will be on hand to answer any questions beyond the already known plans for 38 metropolitan areas to get the 4G LTE treatment -- accounting for a cool 110 million Americans who'll be able to ride the lightning of faster internet speeds on the move. The event kicks off at 12PM and we'll make sure to tune in, if only to find out what Tony's answer is to the inevitable "what is 4G" question. [Thanks, Henry]
Mitsubishi i is the new name of the i MiEV for American market, coming next fall for $30,000
Mitsubishi promised it'd bring the i MiEV over to the US before 2012 and now it's rehashed that pledge with a slightly more detailed roadmap and an indicative price point to boot. Maurice Durand, the company's communications manager for North America, is quoted as saying the newly renamed i will cost "around $30,000" when it launches, which is expected to happen in fall 2011. Sales expectations are a very modest 20,000 units by 2015, but apparently the idea is for Mitsu to just get its foot in the US electric vehicle market before introducing more powerful and versatile people carriers. The i is pitched as primarily a commuter's vehicle, though it has been enlarged slightly to accommodate US safety regulations and "larger frame people." Be honest, Maurice, you mean larger waistline, not frame.
Apple bringing iAds to Europe in December, nobody rejoices
If there's one benefit to living in the technological backwater that is Europe, it's that "innovations" like iAds take a little longer to filter though -- but filter through they eventually do, as evidenced by Apple's announcement that its mobile advertising platform is hitting the Old World this December. French and British iOS users will get to enjoy being pestered by L'Oreal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, and Unilever next month, while their German counterparts will have their lives enriched in January. This follows on the heels of news that iAds is headed to Japan in early 2011 as well, covering the biggest developed markets with glorious promotional material. Advertisers don't seem to be shying away from the platform, either, as Apple boasts it has signed up half of the top 25 US ad buyers (as judged by Ad Age). Full press release follows after the break.
Panasonic GF2 shipping December 3rd in Japan, turning gringos green with envy
As far as we know, the western hemisphere should still have the mirrorless GF2 from Panasonic penciled in on its January 2011 must-own list, but Japan is (predictably) getting the party started a little early. Panny has shot out a brief statement this morning to say that its home nation will receive the GF2 -- alternately attired in red, white or black -- on the 3rd of December. That's a good couple of weeks before we expected to even have pricing for North America and Europe, leaving the rest of us to just pout and stare at the calendar with disdain. And if pricing is what you need, Impress has some of its usually deadly accurate estimates to offer you, with the GF2 body set to cost ¥60,000 (about $720) by itself, ¥80,000 with the F2.5 14mm pancake kit lens, or ¥90,000 if paired with the 14-42mm glass. We'd advise not taking straight currency conversions as indicators of pricing anywhere outside Japan, however, due to the atypically high value of the yen at the moment. Wistful sighs, on the other hand, are free everywhere.
Sharp plans 3D smartphones for US, China and India in 2011
It might be all Japanese to you now, but Sharp's autostereoscopic 3D is coming to a smartphone near you next year. The tech will debut next month on the Softbank-bound Galapagos 003SH and 005SH Android handsets, but now Sharp has confirmed its intention to also bring it Stateside as well as to two of the world's most populous nations in China and India. It's not yet exactly clear what handsets those markets will be getting, but if you're looking for further signs of Sharp's expanding international ambition, the company's reported to also be contemplating extending its e-reading tablet platform out to the US and China. Taken alongside Panasonic's recently announced plans to start selling Android smartphones globally in 2012, this does suggest we might soon be watching a neat little resurgence from our buddies from the land of the rising sun.
Hanvon's color e-reader up for pre-order in China -- for just $530
We'll rarely be accused of being proper economists here, but we do have to question Hanvon's calculations in throwing up a pre-order price for its brand new color e-reader of 3,500 Chinese Yuan. That's the report coming out of DigiTimes this morning, placing the device at around the $530 mark in a market that's not exactly known for its rampant consumption of tech luxuries. Then again, what we're talking about here will indeed be the very first E Ink Triton-equipped device anywhere once deliveries commence in February, so there's the cachet of short-term exclusivity to look forward to. Or it might be very long-term exclusivity if nobody thinks that color is worth paying that massive premium over more conventional e-readers. We shall wait and see.
AMD GPU roadmap points to a happy 2011 for Radeon lovers
The ATI name might be dead, but Radeon graphics cards are only growing bigger, bolder and better. AMD's recent financial analyst day has made official what many of us already knew or suspected: there'll be three new high-end GPUs forthcoming in the first quarter of 2011. The slides explicitly describe the recently launched HD 6870 / 6850 as mere refreshes, aiming to bring HD 5800 series performance in a more efficient package, but peek beyond them and you'll see an armada of HD 6900 chips just itching to bring the fight to NVIDIA and its newly crowned GTX 580 king of the single-GPU hill. No specs yet, of course, but at least we now know there'll be some fireworks to greet us early in the new year. Oh, and if the mobile realm is more your thing, we've got a shot of AMD's plans on that front waiting for you just after the break.
Intel Light Peak on track for release in first half of 2011?
10Gbps. In both directions. At the same time. That's been the tantalizing promise of Intel's Light Peak optical interconnect, and now we're hearing its penchant for speed is overflowing into the company's roadmap. CNET cites a source familiar with developments behind the scenes in reporting that Light Peak is expected to arrive in the early part of next year, slightly accelerating the already known plans for delivering the technology at some point in 2011. We've already been graced with a set of Light Peak-enabled prototypes, so you could've guessed things were gathering pace, but it's always good to get the odd bit of anonymous confirmation that things are moving along swiftly. And hey, when Light Peak hardware finally drops, we can just switch gears and start salivating over improvements that'll lift that 10Gbps ceiling even further.
LG Pad coming in Q1 2011, with Android Honeycomb, dual-core Tegra 2, and 8.9-inch screen
Want some specificity about LG's super-duper tablet roadmap? Last we heard from the Korean tech giant, it was canning plans for a Froyo slate and looking forward to a more suitable iteration of Android, which a senior official at the company has today clarified to mean Honeycomb, describing it as the "tablet PC-version" of the OS. He's even gone beyond the call of PR duty in placing a release schedule for the 8.9-inch LG Pad in the first quarter of 2011, boasting that it'll come with a dual-core Tegra 2 chip inside. That sounds terribly delicious to us, as does the note that LG has worked hard to accommodate the needs and wants of European and North American consumers -- the release window is explicitly said to be for both domestic and overseas markets. Update: We've just heard back from LG on the matter and the company says it has nothing official to tell us. It'd seem whoever the cited official in this piece is, he was dishing details that LG doesn't want the world to know yet. LG's PR team has also pulled a tweet about this story, ostensibly to cover its tracks.
Wings Over Atreia: Daevas of Our Lives -- The siege
The battle was sore. The sound of wings beating the hot air of the Abyss filled the ears of all of us, soldier and commander alike. Singed feathers, both black and white, floated about, as fireballs flew between factions, pelting any who could not dodge fast enough. Shadowy forms dove, weaving between the raining arrows, looking for targets. Sounds of steel clashing rang out as spies tried to sneak past enemy lines in search of kisks. The battle was immense, a sea of red crashing against us, trying to claim what was rightfully ours! We knew we must give our all to repel the enemy onslaught. In the heat of battle, immediate decisions had long-reaching consequences; the tide of battle could turn on a single kinah. All voices hushed as the Commander, MrAwesumPants, issued the order that would bring victory, that would bring us closer to eradicating this threat upon true Daeva. One force was dispatched to take the artifact and activate it. "Do it. Do it now. Do it. Do it. Do it now. Do it do it do it do it now do it do it do it now... now... now... now... get it. DO IT NOW... come ON! Are you paying attention? NOW NOW NOW!! DO IT DO IT DO IT! NOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOW!!! Do it. Don't do it. OMG you *expletive* I can't believe you just did that!" Everyone could hear the spittle dripping from his mic, spraying against his monitor. The hush continued. Have you ever sat in a faction Ventrilo server and heard the siege leader repeat an order like a rapid-fire machine gun for what seemed like five minutes straight, then right as it is being accomplished, immediately rescind the order, demand his followers stop, then totally berate whoever followed the order? No joke -- true story. If you thought drama was just for individuals or legions in Aion, think again! There is a seemingly endless supply of siege drama to keep Daevas entertained -- or disgusted. Settle back and tune in past the cut for the latest episode of Daevas of Our Lives.
The Daily Grind: How do you balance your time?
November marks the beginning of a busy couple of months. Two major holidays are just around the corner, necessitating gift-buying and holiday events in your favorite games. There's a new year just around the corner, too. New games are being released for the holiday season. And of course, you have to balance your commitments in-game with your expectations in the real world, ranging from holding down multiple jobs to just making it to your final exams (which are also afflicting school-age gamers this time of year). And that doesn't count balancing alts, balancing progression with exploration in-game... Of course, for those of us who play multiple games, the issue of time is a persistent one. But right around now, everyone starts feeling the crunch, and despite numerous petitions, the length of the day remains at a strict 24 hours. So how do you balance all of the things that are expected of you across multiple game and real-life commitments? Do you have a priority system and set days for set tasks, or do you just wing everything and hope it works out for the best? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Lenovo says no Android tablet in US until Honeycomb; no Windows 7 tablet, period
If you happen to be enthusiastic about Lenovo, tablets, and your American residency, look away now. Lenovo still plans to ship the Android-based LePad in China some time soonish, but its US roadmap can pretty much be summed up as "wait and see." The company's COO Rory Read has been cited as saying there are no plans to release a slate for the US market until at least Android's Honeycomb version comes out, agreeing with Google on the point that Froyo is not "the right base to have a fully functioning pad." Lest you think Windows 7 will fill the void until whenever in 2011 that Android tablet does arrive, Lenovo's director of new technology, Howard Locker, sets you straight: "Windows 7 is based on the same paradigm as 1985 -- it's really an interface that's optimized for a mouse and keyboard," and the Thinking machine team doesn't intend to build a slate around it. And if you were thinking of maybe picking up a LePhone as a consolation prize, tough luck, that won't be arriving in the US for at least another two years (which in smartphone terms is basically "never"), although it's good to know that it's now got 13 percent of the smartphone market in China. You know, in case you own stock in LeCompany.
BlizzChat: Community Live! schedule for BlizzCon
BlizzCon 2010 is this week! Along with the regular panels and contests on the convention floor, BlizzCon will be presenting the first ever BlizzChat: Community Live!, an arranged venue for gamers to discuss focused topics relating to the Blizzard games they like to play. These will be taking place on both Friday and Saturday and should give players a fun place to hang out and chat about their favorite topics. Zarhym Our primary motivator when hosting each BlizzCon is to provide an epic atmosphere for members of the community to meet up and share their common passion for Blizzard games. In keeping with that tradition, at this year's BlizzCon we'll be facilitating the first-ever BlizzChat: Community Live! Attendees will be given a venue to discuss a number of focused topics pertaining to the Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft universes and gameplay. If you're coming to BlizzCon at the Anaheim Convention Center this October 22 and 23, be sure to check out the schedule below. Don't miss the opportunity to share your thoughts on a wide array of subjects with fellow gaming enthusiasts. BlizzChat: Community Live! Meet up with fellow Blizzard gamers face-to-face to discuss various topics of interest! BlizzChat will take place in meeting rooms 201A and 201B, located on the second floor of the Convention Center near the top of the escalators. source Check after the break for a full schedule of events.
AMD launching next generation of Radeon graphics cards next week, shipping by end of the year
The attentive newshounds over at AnandTech have picked out a golden nugget of disclosure from AMD's earnings call last night, citing CEO Dirk Meyer as saying "we will be launching our second-generation DX11 graphics offerings next week." What he's talking about, of course, is the highly anticipated refresh of the Radeon HD 5000 series, which some recent spec leaks suggested would bring a healthy bump in performance. After announcing the new product line next week, AMD promises to flood the market with "hundreds of thousands of units," which will be shipping before the end of this quarter -- meaning you'll have a Radeon HD 6xxx in time for the holiday gaming craze if you really want it. Can't ask anymore than that, now can we?
