Monthly Archives: May 2012

PowerA unveils MOGA Bluetooth controller for Android devices, we go hands-on

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PowerA unveils Moga Bluetooth controller for Android devices, we go hands-on

PowerA's best known as a company that crafts controllers and accessories for console gaming systems, but at E3 this year the firm is announcing its first foray into the mobile space: a Bluetooth controller for Android. Called the MOGA, its got dual analog sticks and shoulder buttons, along with a fold-out, spring-loaded center portion that holds phones of all sizes in place while you get your game on -- not unlike Gametel's controller we saw at CES. The front of the device is glossy black plastic, while the rear is swathed in rubber, with ribbed portions on the grips to keep it firmly in hand.

Gallery: PowerA Moga Bluetooth game controller press shots

A companion app, available for free through the Google Play store, is also a part of the Moga experience. Called the MOGA Pivot app, it scans your phone for games compatible with the controller, lists them, and lets you launch them direct from the app. Not only that, it'll periodically update the games list as new games are acquired and it'll download patch kits automatically for existing games as they become compatible with the controller. Additionally, it's got a store (powered by Google Play) that'll let users download new compatible games, and titles in the Play Store will have a badge to let folks know which games work with Moga. Currently, the company has 14 games on board -- including Duke Nukem 3D, Virtua Tennis Challenge and Sonic CD -- and are in talks with some other big publishers, so more titles will be supported in the coming weeks and months. We got a sneak peek at the MOGA ahead of E3 and talked with the folks from PowerA about their newest bit of kit, so join us after the break for our impressions.

Gallery: PowerA Moga Bluetooth game controller hands-on

Continue reading PowerA unveils MOGA Bluetooth controller for Android devices, we go hands-on

PowerA unveils MOGA Bluetooth controller for Android devices, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pocket TV Turns Anything With an HDMI Port Into a Computer: In Other Words, It’s Not a Pocket TV

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Whoever invented LAN parties got things right, albeit at a smaller scale. There’s a good chance our future will be filled with keychain-sized computers like the Pocket TV, ready to be plugged into any display. Or we could skip that part altogether and perfect holograms already. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

pocket tv by infinitec

The Pocket TV was developed by Infinitec, the same company that came up with the “infinite” flash drive. The Pocket TV can use any display device with an HDMI port as its monitor. It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, has a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 CPU, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, a USB port and a microSD card slot.  If it sounds awfully familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard of Cotton Candy. The two are indeed very similar; if anything the Cotton Candy is a bit beefier specs wise, although for now it seems as if its manufacturer is going after developers and programmers, whereas Infinitec is clearly aiming for the common folk from the get go.

That is one soothing voice. You can be one of the first to own a Pocket TV by pledging at least $99 (USD) to its Kickstarter fundraiser. Everyone else head here.


Archive of Jobs videos makes iTunes go all things Steve

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The mark that Steve Jobs left on the industry is a deep one, indeed. But aside from regular product announcements, we didn't see all that much of the Apple founder. Jobs's appearances at the All Things Digital conference certainly do a little to remedy the late-executive's notoriously private nature, and now you can watch them all from the comfort of your own Apple-branded media player. All Things D has released Jobs's six lengthy interviews in video and audio format via iTunes.

Archive of Jobs videos makes iTunes go all things Steve originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s Sundar Pichai confirms that offline Google Drive ‘coming in five weeks,’ hints at ad-supported Chromebook

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Google Sundar Pichai D10

During the closing session here at D10 in California, Google's on Senior Vice President of Chrome & Apps Sundar Pichai was joined by Susan Wojcicki (SVP of Advertising at Google) at Walt Mossberg. Sundar was able to drive the majority of the conversation in the realm of Chrome and Chrome OS, and quite a few interesting nuggets were dropped. For one, he made an offhand comment that "offline Google Drive [is] coming in five weeks," a clue that it'll be revealed and launched in full at Google I/O next month.

On the topic of Chrome's browser market share, he reckoned that around a third of the world's desktop browser use is now done on Chrome, noting that percentages are far, far higher in the consumer realm as compared to enterprise, where lots of companies mandate that employees still use Internet Explorer at work. Oh, and Sundar also stated that it's "not lost on [Google] that it can use advertising to provide better value propositions [for Chromebooks] as well. In other words, Google's at least evaluating an ad-supported Chromebook. Looking for more? A fair amount of the back-and-forth is transcribed after the break.

Continue reading Google's Sundar Pichai confirms that offline Google Drive 'coming in five weeks,' hints at ad-supported Chromebook

Google's Sundar Pichai confirms that offline Google Drive 'coming in five weeks,' hints at ad-supported Chromebook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turn Your iPhone Into A REAL Camera With The iPhone Shutter Grip

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It's summer time. Vacation's coming up. Of course, you're taking your iPhone with you; how could you exist without it, now that you have one?  But won't you have to take your camera as well?  Admit it; it's not that easy to manipulate the iPhone to take photos or videos.  Unless... you have an iPhone Shutter Grip.


ASUS throws up two more Computex teasers, hints at dual-OS and dual-side devices (video)

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After the rather vague teaser from three days ago, ASUS is back with two new videos to highlight its surprises at Computex next week. The first one comes with the tag line "All-in-one is no longer in one," with the money shot being the Windows 8 logo and the Android mascot showing up on two water droplets after they separated. This dual-OS and possibly dual-body concept reminds us of the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid that never really materialized on the market (at the time of publishing this article, Lenovo's product page still embarrassingly says "This laptop is not available to purchase yet"), so we certainly hope ASUS won't fall into the same pit with its upcoming mysterious product.

The second teaser, titled "When two sides unite," features a suspended cardboard with "Tai" printed on the left of the white side, and "Chi" on the right of the black side. After a finger smears a dot of paint on the "i" on both sides, the cardboard starts spinning to show a flickering image of "Tai Chi." Our money's on a laptop with a dual-side touchscreen on the lid (the smearing being the hint for touch input), thus saving the need of extra mechanical parts to make a convertible device (and out goes the Eee Pad Slider). Ultimately it depends on whether the cost of such double-sided displays like LG's would be feasible for ASUS to realize this idea; or worse yet, this could be just a matter of slapping two display panels back to back à la Samsung SCH-W999, which might not make sense when you take both weight and cost into consideration. Well, we shall find out the truth in a few days. Check out the video clips after the break.

Continue reading ASUS throws up two more Computex teasers, hints at dual-OS and dual-side devices (video)

ASUS throws up two more Computex teasers, hints at dual-OS and dual-side devices (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft confirms upgrade path and pricing for Windows 8: $14.99 for those buying new PCs

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We've just gotten a thorough look at the Windows 8 Release Preview, and Microsoft has now also finally confirmed what the upgrade path will look like for those buying PCs before the OS is officially released later this year. The company will be rolling out a Windows Upgrade Offer in no less than 131 markets starting June 2nd, which will let anyone who buys an eligible Windows 7-based PC also purchase a Windows 8 Pro upgrade for $14.99 -- that offer will be valid through January 31st, 2013. Upgrade offers for those who already own a Windows 7-based PC will also be announced in the "coming months," but that's unfortunately as much as Microsoft is saying about those at the moment.

Microsoft confirms upgrade path and pricing for Windows 8: $14.99 for those buying new PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp Pantone 5 Smartphone Detects Radiation in Cheerful Colors

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After the 2011 Fukushima disaster, it totally makes sense  that Japan would be the first country to offer radiation-detecting smartphones to consumers. Softbank will offer this new Sharp Pantone 5 107SH Android phone to anyone worried about the radiation fallout from the nuclear power plant disaster.

pantone sharp softbank radiation detection phone

While add-ons have been available for other phones, the Pantone 5 107SH phone is the first consumer phone to have a built-in radiation detector. A dedicated button will activate the detector on demand. The phone is also waterproof, dust-proof, and comes with a 3.7-inch screen. It also has a 4 MP rear camera as well as a smaller 0.3 MP front facing camera. Since the Japanese enjoy watching TV on their smartphones, the Pantone 5 comes with a digital TV tuner, as well as NFC payment ability, and an infrared port.

pantone sharp softbank radiation detection phone colors

Softbank received requests from consumers to offer a radiation-capable smartphone, which is one of the reasons that Sharp decided to add one to their line-up. It will be available in mid-July in an array of different colors.

pantone sharp softbank radiation detection phone back

[via designboom]


Windows 8 Release Preview detailed impressions

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Until now, it seemed like Microsoft was gearing up to unveil the almost-final Windows 8 Release Preview in the first full week of June, just in time for what is sure to be the world's premier Ultrabook trade show. As it turned out, though, the folks in Redmond couldn't contain their jubilation any longer: the company is now rolling out the Release Preview several days ahead of schedule. The update, free to anyone who wants to try it, offers a few notable enhancements, including a trio of new apps, a "Flip ahead" browser gesture, Flash support and a couple of updated multi-monitor features. A few heavy hitters like Wikipedia and Box.net are also using the occasion to debut apps in the Windows Store. And the OS is now available in 13 languages. Mostly, though, this update brings performance and stability fixes, along with granular tweaks like being able to pin stocks to the Start screen. Certainly, a two-hour press conference was not necessary this time around.

Ready to upgrade from the Consumer Preview? Just remember that you'll need to a do a clean install, which means unless your user account is tied to a Microsoft ID you're going to lose your personal settings. Got it? Good. Get your download on now, and then meet us past the break for some early impressions and a video walk-through of the new features.

Gallery: Windows 8 Release Preview detailed impressions

Continue reading Windows 8 Release Preview detailed impressions

Windows 8 Release Preview detailed impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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