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Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Android console shipping December 10th for $250
After previewing its Android micro-console at this year's E3, Mad Catz is finally ready to attach a ship date and price to the M.O.J.O. Clearly meant to take on rival efforts like the Ouya and Shield, the M.O.J.O. is an open platform that's compatible with Tegra Zone (thanks to the Tegra 4 inside), Google Play and Amazon Appstore games. In fact, the console will come pre-loaded with both Google and NVIDIA's dedicated games portals when it ships on December 10th. Mad Catz has also shed some light on what's going on within the M.O.J.O., revealing the aforementioned Tegra 4 CPU running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, along with 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via SDXC to an additional 128GB), as well as support for Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi a/b/g/n. As for ports, the M.O.J.O.'s backside is loaded up with 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, HDMI out for 1080p support, a slot for microSD, 3.5mm headphone jack and Ethernet. Previously, the company's site also made mention of support for PC-based streaming (see the image embedded after the break), as originally noted by Gamasutra, however any mention of said functionality has currently been stripped and Mad Catz has yet to issue a comment on the matter. Regardless, when the M.O.J.O. and its C.T.R.L.R. controller (which can be used as a standalone with supported Android phones) ships later this year, it'll only be in "limited quantities." Meaning you best plunk down $250 (or £220 in the UK) for a pre-order now or risk a holiday season without the comfort of big screen Android gaming.
Amazon now shipping Chromecast orders outside of the US (update: not anymore)
Google has yet to expand Chromecast sales outside of the US, but that isn't stopping Amazon from getting a little piece of the action. Android Central noticed that the online retailer has opened orders on Amazon.com to include additional international shipping options, providing an legitimate and cost-effective way to get the $35 streaming dongle before it officially lands on foreign shores. We successfully placed a order to be shipped to the UK for around £35, but other reports suggest customers can have the device shipped as far as Australia -- with shipping and import fees included in the total price. With Amazon fulfilling international orders, you won't have to take your chances on eBay -- giving you a little more peace of mind should you decide to jump aboard the Chromecast train. Update: It appears the leak has been plugged, as Android Authority reports Amazon is no longer accepting new orders from outside the US. Orders already placed are apparently still going out however, so if you jumped on it early you may be in luck.
3Doodler 3D printing pen starts shipping to Kickstarter backers, retail models arriving in early 2014
It's not news every time a Kickstarter product starts shipping to backers, but in the case of 3Doodler, it's worth a mention. At last count, the startup had raised $2.3 million to fund its 3D printing pen, and with a cost of $99 per device, well, you do the math: that's a lot of people waiting for their new toy to arrive. And we mean it when we say "toy" -- while you won't be creating anything useful like a gun or a Van Gogh knockoff, there's really nothing more addictive than "drawing" in the air with melted plastic, and watching it solidify. For those of you who ordered early, you already know what you're in for. As for the rest of you, your next chance to get one will be in early 2014, though you can place a pre-order today if you like. Really, though, we suggest you revisit our hands-on video, embedded below; we're descriptive writers, but nothing we say can do justice to a pen with molten plastic flowing out of it.
Xbox One game console available on November 22nd
Ready to make a date with a next-gen console? Microsoft's Xbox One goes up for sale on November 22nd, Redmond officially announced this morning. By way of a reminder, the PlayStation 4 will also land in the same month: November 15th for US customers -- just in case you can afford to two-time it. If not, well, we all get to witness the assuredly bloody fight for our hard-earned cash come this holiday. The Xbox One launches in 13 territories initially (UK, Ireland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, US, CAN, MEX, BRA, AUS, NZ) and costs $499 /€499 / £429 -- Microsoft's calling it a "global" launch, though the list was cut down considerably from initial plans. "Many more markets" will see the console arrive in 2014, a note from Microsoft spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb says. The aforementioned territories list notably excludes Japan, a territory traditionally important in the video game market. The console is also in "full production" in its charge toward homes everywhere, and Microsoft made one last internal tweak before sending it out: a 10 percent clock speed increase (from 1.6GHZ to 1.75GHZ). "It means that the processing power to make those games that we've been showing off at Gamescom that already look great will look even better," corporate marketing VP Yusuf Mehdi said in a video announcing today's news (find it just below the break). When Xbox One arrives at retail this November, the $500 package includes the console itself, a new wireless gamepad, the new Kinect, a headset, and various cables for attaching it to your favorite television. Limited editions of a special "Day One" version of the console are also available, which include an insignia on the controller and an exclusive Achievement. Microsoft is apparently making an extra set available starting today, should you still be on the hunt.
PlayJam GameStick releases worldwide September 30th (update)
After a series of delays, it looks like PlayJam's GameStick is making its way to market relatively soon. Whether your allegiance lies with Amazon or GameStop, come September 30th both will begin shipping the tiny console, as noticed by Liliputing. What's more, PlayJam itself promises that the last of its crowdfunded unit-allotment will ship directly to backers by mid-September. The news doesn't stop there, as it recently passed FCC certification too. Uncle Sam's documents -- RF exposure statements! Label placement! -- don't contain much we didn't already know, but if you want to see the GameStick's user manual, here you go. [Thanks, Dave] Update: We based our report on retailer statements, but, as those can change, we've reached out to PlayJam for confirmation. Update 2: PlayJam responded, telling us that September 30th is "the retail date we [it] are working to."
Your BioShock Infinite Songbird plushie is on the way
Remember those BioShock Infinite-based Songbird plushies? The ones that were available for pre-order in May, and stood at seven inches tall with 14-inch wingspans? Irrational Games tells Joystiq that the plushies started shipping as of yesterday, so those pre-ordered songbirds will fly to their new homes soon. Irrational Games also notes that all new purchases will ship in one or two business days. The $55 songbird plushies are still in stock, available through the developer's store.
Samsung shipping ATIV Book 9 Plus and ATIV Tab 3 in the coming weeks, promises business-minded variants this fall
B&H may have jumped the gun a bit, but here's the word from the proverbial horse's mouth: Samsung's high-specced ATIV Book 9 Plus will be available for pre-order in the United States beginning August 18th, with shipments of the $1,399 laptop to commence shortly thereafter. For those in need of a brief recap, the 13.3-inch rig packs a QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) touchpanel, a Core i5 4200U processor, 128GB SSD, a battery good for 7.5 hours and a copy of Windows 8. Meanwhile, that ATIV Tab 3 that we handled back in June is getting a proper ship date of its own, with Sammy assuring Americans that they'll be able to snap one up starting on September 1st for $699.99 -- thankfully, that tally does include a Bluetooth keyboard / cover combo. It's said to be the planet's thinnest Windows 8 slate at 0.31-inches thick, with a proposed 7 hour battery, preloaded Office Home & Student and one of those always-lovable S Pens. For whatever it's worth, it appears that Samsung's distaste for Windows RT in the States hasn't carried over to tablets with Windows 8 onboard... yet, anyway. Oh, and for the enterprising individuals in attendance? Samsung has promised "to introduce versions of both products specialized for business use in the fall." Nifty!
Currys and PC World now offer same-day delivery to impulsive UK tech shoppers
Brits who can't stand waiting for gadget purchases can swing by a Currys or PC World to pick them up immediately, but that also requires the hassle of visiting a big-box store. As of today, impulse buyers won't have to brave that gauntlet: both Currys and PC World are offering same-day delivery for online orders. UK residents buying small gadgets from either shop before 9:30AM can spend £15 ($23) to have the goods reach their door by 10PM that night. The stores are also offering Sunday afternoon deliveries at similar pricing, and the £5 ($8) next-day option now includes all orders made before midnight. Extra-speedy shipments are initially limited to those in greater London and a handful of other post codes, but the retailers promise wider availability in the near future.
Dragon's Crown ships 300K across first week in Japan
Dragon's Crown scaled to heights of 300,000 shipments in its first week at retail, a welcome boost for publisher Atlus amid the financial struggles of its parent company. Those figures are restricted to Japanese shipments (including download purchases), and could rise dramatically after Tuesday, August 6, when the PS3 and Vita brawler will be available in North America. At the very least the game proved more than popular with our Danny, who deemed Dragon's Crown to be developer Vanillaware's best effort yet. "While it scales back the complexity that defined Princess Crown and Odin Sphere," said Danny in his four-and-half-stars review, "its focus on deep, varied fighting mechanics make it one of the best beat-em-ups released for any platform in recent years." As for Atlus, it'll wait to see how the situation with parent company Index shakes out. Index is expected to sell its subsidiary options after effectively filing for bankruptcy protection. Atlus has reassured fans that its games, including Dragon's Crown, are "shipping on time."
Trakdot luggage tracker now shipping
Remember that luggage tracking device we did a hands-on with back at CES? Well, now you can finally get your own hands around it. Trakdot Luggage has just started shipping. The little box auto-transmits its location via quad-band GSM chip and triangulation, letting you know where your toiletries are at all times (except when you're actually in the air, naturally). Trakdot will run you $50, a price that includes a luggage tag and batteries (which should give you around two weeks of use). You'll also need to drop $9 for the activation and $13 for the annual service fee, if you want more than just a suitcase paperweight. And as for actually tracking the package, you'll have to rely on your parcel carrier for that information.
New Nexus 7 now available to order from Google's US Play Store
As of now, Apple's still wholly content letting Google and its clan of followers dominate the sub-$300 tablet market. Hence, the new Nexus 7. For those drawn to a thinner, lighter, more powerful version of the Android-based slate, orders can now be placed directly through Google's Play Store... for customers located in the United States. Both the 16GB and 32GB WiFi-only models are still on track to ship by next Tuesday, while those on the lookout for a cellular version will need to wait a few more weeks. It's Friday. You probably just got paid. And really, what's $230 between friends?
Blackmagic's 4K camera delayed, Pocket Cinema model to ship in '3-4 days'
If you've pre-ordered one of the two Blackmagic cinema cams announced at NAB this year, there's good, not-so-good and bad news coming out of a Blackmagic event yesterday. First the good: Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema model, which stunned observers with its 1080P RAW specs and sub-$1,000 price tag, should start shipping in a few days. That's close to the July 25th date promised for both cameras, although there could be a not-so-good caveat. John Brawley (who showed off the Pocket Cinema's first pristine images) told forum users that it would likely only have ProRes 422 support, and not RAW, at first -- though Blackmagic told us they "couldn't confirm" that. As for the bad part, those who laid down the most cash ($4,000 or so) will have to wait for the Production Camera 4K. The company told event-goers it wouldn't arrive until early September now, but when we reached out for clarification, it gave the following statement: With regards to the Production Camera 4K there is still several weeks of work to do before this enters full production manufacturing, however we expect to ship the first quantities of this model before the end of August. Still, given the company's track record of delays with the original Cinema Camera, you may want to avoid relying on that info for any time-specific projects.
eBay debuts desktop version of eBay Now, service coming to more cities this summer
eBay's same-day delivery service has been highly focused on mobile since its very early days, but now the internet giant is looking to change that. Starting today, eBay Now will be available on the desktop, giving shoppers an alternative to using the site on their iOS or Android device. Naturally, this means users can still make the same purchases and have them delivered in a speedy fashion, only they'll be able to do so on a larger canvas that's optimized to display things like big imagery, reviews and which stores are most popular. In addition, the company's VP of Mobile and Local, Dan Glasgow, told us the service is, as of now, expanding its NYC coverage to Brooklyn and Queens, as well as some more places around the Bay Area. eBay also let us know Now's getting ready to launch in Chicago and Dallas "later this summer," adding that new features are set to debut at around the same time, including one which allows for scheduled deliveries. Still hoping it comes to your city? It may very well happen soon -- eBay says it's excited to keep growing and continue expanding the service.%Gallery-194299%
Nvidia Shield shipping on July 31 to hands near you
Nvidia's Android-powered handheld gaming system Shield will ship July 31, Nvidia announced. The system was originally expected to launch June 27, but shipment was pushed back to July due to a mechanical issue found during the console's QA process. Our hands-on time with the Shield found some similarities to the Xbox 360 controller, with a little more bulk than a PlayStation Vita, thanks in no small part to its 5-inch, multi-touch, 720p display. %Gallery-188227%
DPD to let UK shoppers track home deliveries in real time (video)
If you're like us, you want a better sense of where your packages are than "on truck for delivery." So does the UK's DPD, apparently, as it's rolling out a Follow My Parcel service that will let online shoppers track their goods in real time. The feature gives customers a web link that lets them see both the delivery vehicle's live position and a package's place in the queue. The new system is accurate enough to narrow the delivery window to 15 minutes -- in theory, recipients won't be caught off-guard again. There's also options for giving the shipment to a neighbor or rescheduling the shipment altogether. Follow My Parcel should be available through Interlink Express on August 5th, and British retailer ASOS already plans to offer the service to its customers.
This is the Modem World: Four ways to fix e-commerce and shipping companies
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I'm going out of my head right now. I came home hoping to find my cool new Santa Cruz mountain biking jersey all wrapped in plastic thanks to UPS via Chainlove.com, my crazy-discounted gear site of choice. We're not talking anything expensive -- I think the thing cost me $20, but I was psyched to have a team jersey from my favorite bike company. I'm a bike dork, what can I say? I should have been skeptical when I tracked my package from the office to learn that it had been left at my "front door" at exactly 2:00 PM. While it's possible the driver hit the 2 PM mark on the head, it's unlikely that he or she left anything at my "front door" given that it's three stories or 76 stairs -- my mom counts and complains every time she visits -- above the street. In fact, every single delivery I've ever received here was tossed over my little wooden fence. But in my head, everything was fine. The jersey was waiting for me, my future as a Santa Cruz team member assured. Victory was mine.
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!
Sony Xperia SP on sale now in the UK at T-Mobile, Orange and EE
Sony's mash-up Xperia, the SP, is taking its transparent element light show to the UK today, giving budget-minded Brits one stylish and feature-packed mobile alternative. The 4.6-inch 720p handset, which is basically a Best of... edition of the Xperia S and P with an aluminum unibody, is shipping now at T-Mobile UK for £250 outright (about $387 USD), whereas Orange and EE are offering up the device for free with qualifying plans. If you want LTE, however, you only have one carrier option and that's EE -- a choice that'll have you shackled for a two-year period. As for O2 and Three, those carriers still have the SP listed as "coming soon," but it's safe to say you won't find a better bargain than *free. *Nothing in life is free.
AT&T's Galaxy S 4 page lists April 30th ship date, $199 / $639 price for 16GB
We saw AT&T open up a registration page for the Galaxy S 4 almost as soon as Samsung's presentation was over, but now that link is exposing a bit more information. Several tipsters let us know that for customers in certain areas, the website is now showing the 16GB GS4 available for pre-order in White Frost or Black Mist. Some of the details are visible to all, including that the phone is promised to ship April 30th and has an off-contract price tag of $639 ($199 w/ two-year agreement). Those who can get further in the ordering process report it's expected to arrive at their homes on or before May 3rd, with two-day shipping. Hit the link below if you're moved to get your pre-order for Samsung's latest standard-bearer in as soon as possible. [Thanks, Stephen, Asim, Jeff]
