We're certain it has been a painstaking weekend for you Storm-owning Mac users, but the long-awaited OTA download for the
first firmware update is finally available. For those somewhat confused, the update
we covered on Friday was exclusively available via the Windows-only RIM Desktop Manager application; now, Storm owners can suck down v4.7.0.75 without a liaison. Early reports are pretty positive, with
jkOnTheRun noting that the
troublesome lag that came bundled with the handset was now all but history. The 14MB download (plus installation) is said to take around 20 to 30 minutes, so fire yours up and let us know how things turn out.
Filed under: Cellphones
BlackBerry Storm OTA update now available on Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Walmart's reassuringly boasting that they've got plenty of the
oft-out-of-stock Wiis on hand for your online holiday shopping needs today. There are a host of different Nintendo-related deals to go with it, too. The Wii itself is available for $249.24, there's a "Value Bundle" which includes the console, a game, an accessories pack and an extra set of controllers for $329 (or $20 off), and they have some games on sale, as well. What's next? Walmart mouthing off about the "
millions of iPhones" they have available?
[Via
Game Daily]
Filed under: Gaming
Walmart brags about its "tens of thousands" of Wiis for sale online originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Impact gear isn't exactly the hottest peripheral out there for game consoles, but TN Games is apparently finding plenty of hardcore gamers willing to splurge on its
FPS Vest. Now,
the outfit is finally getting official with its HTX Helmet, which we first heard about as the year began. Utilizing the company's 3rd Space technology, it's designed to be used in conjunction with the 3rd Space Gaming Vest and will enable wearers' to feel blows to the head when fired upon. We're talking bullets whizzing by, impacts of shots -- the works. If, for some incredibly odd reason, that sounds like your idea of fun, be on the lookout for a 2009 release.
[Via
Engadget Chinese, thanks Sarah]
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Wearables
TN Games HTX Helmet lets you feel those headshots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments In a presentation given at Nokia's Capital Markets Day 2008 last week the company quietly displayed a previously unseen handset, complete with an edge-to-edge touchscreen and subtle, attractive stylings. Perhaps even more interesting is that the screen is sporting an all-new heretofore unseen S60 touchscreen interface, giving hope to folks let down by S60 5th Edition's
minor changes to the formula. Unfortunately, Nokia hasn't made any other reference to this phone or the revised OS, and could have very well trotted them out as a proof of concept of the company's direction -- particularly likely due to the fact that they were trying hard to butter up investors at the meeting. Still, the "Tube" started off as
little more than a presentation (complete with hints at interface improvements that have yet to emerge), and look how that
ended up.
[Warning: PDF link; via
Boy Genius Report]
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Mysterious new Nokia touchscreen interface and handset unveiled (sort of) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumors are swirling about Intel's roadmap of forthcoming netbook and handheld processors, which apparently showed up in a recent report by UBS. The roadmap seems to confirm the
previously seen Pineview, and codenames its successor "Medfield," which is to be built on 32-nanometer process technology. Pineview, after some speculation, seems to have been nailed down as a 45-nanometer chip, and will be released in 2009, while Medfield, a complete system-on-chip, will follow in 2010. Medfield will have two variants, one for netbooks rumored to use the current
integrated GPU, and one for MIDs, which is said to carry a
PowerVR graphics core like the one used in the iPhone. Intel has apparently confirmed the codename "Medfield," but, when questioned, wouldn't answer to allegations that the person who'd come up with the moniker had been fired on grounds of being the least creative namer in the history of naming.
Filed under: Laptops
Rumored Intel roadmap names next Atom "Medfield" originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Generally speaking,
iHome produces fairly respectable kit. Sure, it's almost all involved directly with Apple's iPod or some random alarm clock (or a mixture of the two), but there's nothing intrinsically wrong with offering up a narrow range of products. To that end, we present the iH15W, an iPod-friendly stereo box that actually changes colors on a whim. The LED-infused cube houses two Reson8 speakers, an iPod dock, a 3.5-millimeter auxiliary port and two convenient carry handles. If you can honestly say you prefer your boombox to change hues along with your mood, you can plunk down $59.99 right now and get sassy.
[Via
ChipChick]
Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio
iHome's iH15W iPod stereo changes colors, could become annoying originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We knew good and well HP's Mini 1000 netbook
had a thing for integrated 3G, but we never knew it played both sides of the proverbial field. After noticing not two, but three WWAN options on the CTO pages at HP,
jkOnTheRun wrote in to figure out what was going on. In sum, those uncomfortable with choosing a dedicated AT&T or Verizon WWAN module can opt for an alternative that handles both networks -- and at no extra cost. HP has confirmed that the $199 option is indeed the two-faced
Qualcomm Gobi, which theoretically allows you to use mobile broadband services from AT&T and Verizon if you happen to either relocate or have subscriptions with both. Now, if only the WWAN option wasn't >50% of the purchase price, we might actually consider it.
Filed under: Laptops, Wireless, Networking
HP's Mini 1000 offers Qualcomm Gobi WWAN chip as option originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apparently, AMD has officially announced the release of its
Phenom II processor -- though if they did, they forgot to actually, you know, announce it. According to
EE Times, the quad-core, 45nm chip is said to support DDR2 and DDR 3 memory (the latter up to 1333MHz) and is available at both 3GHz and 2.8GHz speeds (for $275 and $235, respectively). If that's not exciting enough, a 65nm (DDR2) version of the chip is also availabe. The article winds up by saying that the chips are expected to appear in systems on display at the upcoming CES. Sound good? Now all we need is an actual, official announcement. Like, from the chip maker itself. We're looking at you, AMD. Call us. You have the number.
[Via
Register Hardware]
Filed under: Desktops
AMD Phenom II processor gets outed, might even be released originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Energizer's set to unleash a new battery -- dubbed the Zinc Air Prismatic -- at CES in January, which they say will offer three times the juice of similar alkaline and lithium-ion batteries. Promising more runtime for smaller devices, they'll also supposedly be the same size as current, comparable batteries. It's a little vague right now, and we don't have any specifics on life times for specific examples of devices, but it all sure sounds great. We take
exciting claims of
battery power with a grain of salt, especially from the companies that make them, so we'll just have to wait and see. Then again, we're inclined to take companies with mascots that look like they've marched out of a hallucinogenic nightmare at their word. Conundrum.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Energizer to debut new, longer-lived Zinc Air Prismatic battery at CES 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We've known since September that Nokia's next round of Internet Tablets would be using Maemo 5 OS, and now that the SDK is out we've got some more details for you. The 100 percent open source, pre-alpha release features a new kernel, new components, and supports cellular data connectivity, hi-def cameras, hardware-based graphic acceleration and OMAP3. In addition to all that, the Maemo Community reports that a soon-to-be revamped UI and a new multimedia framework (called "Midas") are in the works. Exciting, no? If you really want to get your hands dirty, hit the read link and soak in all the geeky detail.
Update: As some commenters have pointed out, Midas is the new multimedia framework, not Ohm. Thanks for the heads-up!
[Via Internet Tablet Talk]
Filed under: Handhelds
Maemo 5 OS gets pre-alpha release, specs beyond your wildest imaginings originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Just a few days ago we
got our mitts on the QWERTY Nokia E63, and now
Mobile Burn's got a full-on review of the device. They think the phone's attractive for its price, and are particularly fans of its feel and contacts system, while the obvious drawbacks -- lack of GPS and HSDPA, plus a less powerful camera than its predecessor, the
E71 -- are not enough to make it feel totally cheap. The E63 is essentially not surprising in any way, but it's also not a disappointment, and the reviewer seems to be pretty impressed with the device overall. Video of the review after the break.
Continue reading Nokia E63 review: just about what you'd expect it to be
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia E63 review: just about what you'd expect it to be originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments Looking for the ultimate in nerve-shatteringly cheap cheapo netbooks? Don't want to break the $200 price point? Introduce yourself to the Alpha 400 -- a tiny "computer" with about as much processing power as your last TI scientific calculator. The miniature laptop sports a 400MHz (megahertz!) MIPS CPU, 128MB (megabytes!) of RAM, a mind-blowing 1GB (gigabyte!) of flash storage, 802.11b (b!), a 7-inch "display," and support for SD cards up to 32GB (gigabytes!). Seriously, this thing is essentially a glorified pocket dictionary, but who are we to question its awesome $189.95 price tag? Oh wait, we're Engadget. Yeah, we don't recommend this.
[Via
jkOnTheRun]
Filed under: Laptops
Alpha 400: the crappiest netbook you'll ever hate originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments We've
seen some
ugly cellphones in our day, but we can't recall the last time we felt that touching one could cause irreversible harm to our bodies and minds. Falling squarely in the category of "wouldn't touch with a
ten twenty foot poll" is
Mobiado's Professional 105GMT Gold. This abomination was crafted from sapphire crystal, Ebony wood and a CNC machined frame which is doused in 24-carat gold. You'll also find a totally not awesome 1GB of inbuilt memory, a ho hum 2-megapixel camera and a 2-inch 320 x 240 resolution display. It also features multimedia playback, a quad-band GSM radio, Bluetooth, optional diamonds and a Discovery watch mechanism that was clearly added in a desperation move to make this seem "luxurious." No word on pricing, and we don't plan on digging around to find out.
[Via
UnwiredView]
Filed under: Cellphones
Mobiado frightens and offends with Professional 105GMT Gold handset originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comments 
We know exactly what you're thinking: this is insanely awesome and not at all creepy, where can I get three of these (two for myself, one for my best friend)? Well, we're not really sure, but we'll tell you what we do know. His name seems to be H-Bouya and he's a USB device who blinks every time you type "h" -- as in "Hello there, my hairless, large-headed cohort (that's five, we can probably do better than that). He might do some other things like make random noises or cry when you unplug him, but he's probably just destined to take his place on your desk next to that framed photo of Han Solo and the mini-Mulder doll, silently accusing you of "not doing any work." We don't know where you can get one, or how much he'll cost, but we've got a feeling he'll be affordable.
Filed under: Peripherals
H-Bouya USB "toy" blinks, accuses you of procrastinating originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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