Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 11:37 pm
Yes, we realize that it’s hard to provide too much visual differentiation between tablet PCs with large, ebony bezels, but we can’t help but think that this 8.9-inch multitouch tablet looks a lot like another, recently announced 9.7-inch multitouch tablet. Nevertheless this one’s quite different on the inside, delivering “the web without compromise,” meaning full browser support with flash courtesy of Windows 7 on an Atom N270 at 1.6GHz, with 2GB of DDR2 memory and a 32GB SSD with SD expansion. Yeah, those specs are familiar too, and while we’re not thinking this will deliver the sort of snappy performance seen on the iPad, it will certainly be a lot more functional. Battery life is only four hours, but at least it’s user-replaceable, and a price of $599 matches the 32GB iPad. Likewise it will be available in March — or you can get a non-multitouch prototype for $780 right this very moment. If, that is, you speak enough French to manage the order page.
[Thanks, Jean-Baptiste]
8.9-inch ExoPC Slate has iPad looks, netbook internals, Windows 7 soul originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 11:36 pm
Smell that? That’s a smell of a real man’s budget computer, doing real manly things like task processing and pixel churning. MSI’s new CX420, CR420 and CR720 laptops aren’t much for looks, but under the hood you can find new-gen Core i Series processors across the board and ATI Radeon HD5470 graphics in the CX420 (pictured). Sure, there’s only Intel integrated HD graphics in the CR420 and CR720, and the 1366 x 768 14-inch displays in the CX420 / CR420 are a bit of a letdown, but knowing MSI we’re sure the prices for this trio will more than make up for any mild disappointments on the spec sheet. Hit up the PR for the full breakdown, but there’s no release date to be found just yet.
MSI’s new CX420, CR420 and CR720 laptops put Intel’s new processors to good, workaday use originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 11:36 pm
Panasonic is nothing like shy about pushing out a plethora of compacts, but while it was talking up specs for the new Lumix F-series of compact cameras back at CES, we’ve just now got some prices and a release date to chew on. The FH1 (12 megapixel, 720p video) goes for $160, FH3 (14.1 megapixel, 720p) is $180, and the FH20 (14.1 megapixel, 720p) is $200. In slim land, the FP1 (12 megapixel) hits at $150 and the FP3 (14.1 megapixel, 720p) is $230. Finally, some killer value can be found in the bulkier F3, which does 12.1 megapixels and 720p video for a mere $130, and the barebones 10.1 megapixel F2. All of the cameras should be out in mid-February.
Panasonic clamps down prices, release window for latest F-series line of compact cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 10:00 pm
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.
It was quite the week for Apple, first with its best-ever earnings and then the launch of the iPad. While Apple didn’t create this category of device, it did answer the fundamental question of why this form factor needs to exist. The meta lesson is that the story told is as important as the hardware, software and services being sold — and while everyone may not be convinced, I do think Apple will win over the majority of a skeptical audience with high expectations. But there’s also four important lessons that Apple taught the market this week, as it enters a space that’s been mostly a failure.
1. Define what your product does. The first thing Apple did was answer that question immediately and then define what the product needed to do. Apple explained what capabilities need to be in the this class of device and then went on to show how each of those features not only worked but were optimized for the iPad. That’s something we’ve seen lacking in this category to date.
2. Leverage what you’ve done before. I believe the iPad is likely to do well with consumers as it leverages Apple’s previous successes with the iPod and the iPhone. At the base level, that’s compatibility and synchronization with iTunes as well as backward compatibility with existing applications. That’s important — as a user I can use my existing content library and my application collection. It also means that iPad has 140,000-plus applications at launch. But it’s more than that. Apple is not only leveraging its ecosystem of devices and software, it’s leveraging the lessons it spent a decade teaching consumers. Apple taught its market about MP3 players, digital music, smartphones, capacitive multitouch screens and mobile apps. It can now go directly to selling the form factor, as well as new features such as productivity and e-books.
Continue reading Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch
Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 9:00 pm
Epic took more than 20 suggestions for experience bonuses in a Valentine’s event and Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson chose three. Epic’s Valentine’s Day “date” with Gears of War 2 will run between Feb. 8 and Feb. 14.
For at least three days in that span (and maybe the whole week; they haven’t decided yet), Gears of War 2 will offer the following XP bonuses:
• Revives are double points in all game types
• Wingman is double normal XP (4x XP)
• Horde is double XP
I’d advise checking back at the Epic forum thread for final details on when it starts and ends, but it sounds like it’ll be quite the romantic experience.
Epic, will you be my Valentine? [Epic, via VG247]
Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 8:30 pm
Is it just me or does it seem as though everyone (myself included) is playing Mass Effect right now? I suppose there are a few people who aren’t, but I’m pretty sure they’re off playing Star Trek Online. Well, I suppose we all have to find something to occupy our time between raid resets and daily timers. Oh, for the simple times when all we had to worry about was chasing Arthas and pals around Northrend — juggling more games only means more problems! For this week in WRUP, commemorating the recent release of Bioware’s Mass Effect 2, I’ve also asked the team what game they’re looking forward to most in 2010 — some of them even got the answer right. (Hint: it starts with “c” and ends with “ysm.”)
Continue reading WRUP: Not in Azeroth edition
Filed under: WoW Insider Business
WRUP: Not in Azeroth edition originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 8:30 pm
The WoW Insider Show returns to the airwaves today at 3:30 PM Eastern time, bringing with it your host Michael Sacco, cohost Matthew Rossi, and special guests and prolific cosplayers Ayabi and Sijia. We’ll be answering reader emails, shootin’ the breeze, and, of course, discussing the week’s top stories on WoW.com and around the web. We’ll also talk with Ayabi and Sijia about how they design, create, and make it work in their outfits.
And, lest we forget, we’ll be talking live with the folks in the chat channel. You can email the podcast any time of night or day at theshow@wow.com, and you’ll be able to listen in to the show on the feed on our Ustream site, or after the jump.
Continue reading WoW Insider Show with Ayabi & Sijia live today at 3:30 PM Eastern
WoW Insider Show with Ayabi & Sijia live today at 3:30 PM Eastern originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 8:30 pm
If the blood princes and Blood Queen Lana’thel are looking to attract adventurers to turn into new Scourge, they definitely know their audience. Lana’thel’s got the scantily-clad blood elf lady thing going on to attract the guys, and the trio of vampiric princes should be able to fascinate the rampaging hordes of Twilight/True Blood/Vampire Diaries-watching girls. But be careful, folks. Even if you do manage to convince her to engage in romantic activities rather than bite you to death, those clawed wings are going to leave hellish scratch marks all over you. (Thanks to Sanaré of <End of Days> on Twisting Nether for the screenshot!)
Do you have any unusual, beautiful or interesting World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We’d love to see them on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. Please include the word “Azeroth” in your post so it does not get swept into the spam bin. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing — use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards, Val’kyr on mounts, or pictures of the Ninja Turtles in Dalaran. Older screenshots can be found here.
Filed under: Around Azeroth
Around Azeroth: In the service of the queen originally appeared on WoW.com on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 8:17 pm
Um, okay? Just days after Apple introduced its exceedingly underwhelming iPad while simultaneously attempting to convince that masses that said product was the portable gaming device they had been waiting their whole lives for, Sony’s own hardware marketing honcho has come forward and extolled Cupertino’s decision to finally make the gaming leap. In a recent interview, John stated the following:
“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony. When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”
While we can’t seem to shake the suspicion that Mr. Koller is drawing links that probably don’t exist (at least fully) in reality, research firm NPD does show that sales of the PSP have “nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007.” Of course, it’s not like the PSP has gained functionality, become the home of more than a few killer titles and spawned a UMD-less sibling since the heydays of ’07, but hey — who are we to question the suit?
Sony’s John Koller: Apple’s entrance into gaming market drives consumers to PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by on January 31, 2010 – 8:00 pm
Is BioWare actually letting Charlie Brown kick the DLC football? Looks like Return to Ostagar, the DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins, came back sometime yesterday to Xbox Live Marketplace and for PC download.
The DLC originally went live on Jan. 14 but had to be removed because a title update created a bug within it. That followed earlier bug-related delays in development.
The pack is 400 Microsoft Points or $4.99 US. As of publication, it is still not on the PlayStation Network and is classified as “coming soon” on the BioWare page.
Return to Ostagar [Bioware via Blue's News]
