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Windows Phone 7 series to support full 3d gaming XNA games

03 10 10'

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source – engadget.com

Alright, we’re going to be straight with you: you’re not going to like this. See, Microsoft just showed us a pair of 3D games running on its ASUS Windows Phone prototype and built with its brand new XNA Game Studio 4.0, but wouldn’t let us nab a single photo or video of the process. What we can tell you is that they exist, they work, and at least Microsoft tossed us some screenshots to wave in your face. The two titles are The Harvest (pictured), a good looking touch-controlled dungeon crawler with destructible environments, being developed by Luma Arcade; and Battle Punks, a less impressive one-on-one sword fighting Facebook game by Gravity Bear that’s being ported over. We didn’t get to see any full motion 3D camera moves, since Battle Punks is just composed of two characters duking it out, and The Harvest has a fixed camera and some pre-rendered elements, but there were indeed some real polygons being crunched before our eyes at a full resolution (no upscaling), alpha-rev, choppy framerate, and we were assured that full screen 3D was possible. We also got to see one of our first glimpses of universal notifications on Windows Phone: Achievement unlock notices (also pictured above) that slide down from the top of the screen in a black bar and then slide back, and can’t be interacted with. Follow after the break for some more nerdy details, along with a video of VisualStudio in action, and screenshots of the two games are in the gallery below.

Windows Phone 7 Series XNA screenshots

Microsoft spoke to the ease of its Direct3D development platform, which was built by the same folks responsible for the first-gen Xbox (though we’re under the impression that most of the similarities end there). What we saw of The Harvest was built in “two or three weeks,” mostly from scratch, and folks who’ve already built games for XNA in VisualStudio shouldn’t have much trouble with a port from the sound of things: “very, very easy,” said Microsoft. Right now developers can do their testing in Windows, but there should be a Windows Phone 7 Series emulator out for devs eventually — though it’s unclear right now if it’ll make it into the upcoming XNA release scheduled for the coming month. Other details are up in the air like support for using a device’s camera in game, along with that fancy pause and resume cross-platform function we saw demo’d at TechEd. One thing that’s clear is that there’s no fast track for porting OpenGL games to the Direct3D environment, but that’s not stopping regular suspects like Oberon, Sega, Glu, EA, Popcap, Hudson Entertainment, Namco, Konami and Microsoft Game Studios from signing on. We’ll have to wait until MIX for more details and hopefully some shareable demos! Below we have a video of that same platforming game we saw from TechEd being demo’d across platforms, though sadly with the save state sending disabled.

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Motorola CLIQ XT

03 10 10'

Written by ts

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source – engadget.com

We know you’ve barely recovered from our Devour review, but Moto just threw another Blur-ified phone in our laps this afternoon – the CLIQ XT. We’ve been playing around with the Android 1.5-based, Flash Lite-supported, multitouch-capable handset for the last couple of hours — but before we grace you with our first impressions, just a fair warning: we don’t yet know the price of the new T-Mobile Android handset, though Motorola did promise us that it will hit shelves this month. With that said, hit the break for a quick rundown of our early thoughts.

Motorola CLIQ XT with MotoBlur hands-on
  • We’ve been getting off on the right foot with the CLIQ XT. Though it’s a bit thick — it’s a tad thinner than the Droid — the 0.28-pound handset actually feels lighter than we expected, and the rubbery back feels nice in hand. Judge us all you want, but we do think the included purple back is a nice accessory.
  • While some may miss the physical keyboard, we’re really digging the preloaded Swype virtual keyboard — we’ve set it as the default and it’s been incredibly accurate in figuring out our text. We do wish that it had a “.com” shortcut, though.
  • The clickable touchpad is just fine for maneuvering through smaller menus, but we’ve been all touchscreen, all the time.
  • Speaking of the multitouch feature is everything we dreamed of, pinching to zoom is very responsive in both the newly improved Photo Gallery and in the browser.
  • As for Flash Lite, we we’re able to watch a YouTube video in the browser when we switched over to the “desktop” version in order to avoid launching the YouTube app. Video was laggy over 3G, but that’s to be expected here in New York.
  • We’d be remiss not to mention the 5 megapixel cam — we’ve taken some nice shots so far with it, though it does seem to be a bit slow to launch
  • Overall performance seems good enough, but it’s not going to blow you away. Toggling through the Blur menus was snappy and keeping open four browser windows didn’t seem to slow too much down.

That’s all we got for now — stay tuned for our full review coming up shortly!

engadget.com

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Pioneer 11 and 12-inch Atom N470, ION 2 Netbooks Now Available

03 10 10'

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source – netbooked.net

Previously we saw the 11.6” DreamBook Lite U11a and heard it was coming with ION 2 graphics. That model is now available with ION 2 graphics (GT218M) for a $59 upgrade and an upgrade to an Atom N470 processor costs $29 which brings the base price up to $537 AUD ($491). Looks of other cool customizable options but it’s a shame in only comes in Red / Black.

Then there’s the 12.1” DreamBook Lite U12 ION 2. Same deal with an Atom N Pinetrail processor except this one comes with a color combination more easy on the eyes: Black on the inside and brown on the outside. The Atom N470 upgrade is $29 and the base price prior to that upgrade is $549 AUD ($502) which includes ION 2 by default.

DreamBook Lite U12 ION2

Some features are optional and not included in the base price above

  • 12.1” 1366 x 768 display
  • Intel Atom N450 / N470 processor
  • Intel NM10 chipset
  • Nvidia ION 2 graphics
  • 1x RAM slot (2GB max)
  • 2.5” SATA storage
  • Card reader, VGA, audio jacks, LAN, 3x USB, HDMI
  • 4-cell Li-poly battery (7.2V / 4600 mAh) OR
  • 6-cell Li-poly battery (7.2V / 6900 mAh) no mention of battery life
  • 1.3M webcam
  • 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
  • 3G module + antennas
  • Windows XP / Vista / 7 / Ubuntu 9.10 Linux
  • 1.45 kg / 3.2 pounds

Source:SlashGear

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2nd Hand 7″ Eee PC Tablet Mod

03 10 10'

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source – netbooked.net

The ASUS Eee PC 701 is back yet again with yet another slate tablet mod purposely made for those occasions where the modder wanted to verify actor roles at IMBD in front of the TV. He bought a used Eee PC 701 and touchscreen kit off of Ebay and proceeded to hack the innards with details that go over my head. He is going the Linux route and I’d be pretty interested to see that how goes with a touch screen.

Just a couple of pictures for now but I’m hoping he’ll add some more stuff to see.

Source: Eee User Forums and MikeJose

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Samsung e-readers

03 09 10'

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source – engadget.com by Nilay Patel

Samsung still hasn’t committed to a formal launch date for the e-reader line it launched at CES, but the company narrowed down the launch date from “early 2010″ to “this spring” this morning — which makes sense, seeing as spring has nearly, uh, sprung. We’re only hearing about the six-inch E6 at the moment, along with a new Barnes and Noble partnership — we’re not sure anyone will pick the Samsung over the the popular Nook, especially at the $399 price point we heard at CES, but at least there’s a built-in content ecosystem. Interestingly, we’re not hearing anything about the 10-inch E10 or QWERTY-equipped E61, both of which would fill large gaps in the B&N lineup, but we’re looking out for more info — we’ll let you know. In the meantime, you can watch a video of all three devices right here.

Samsung announces E6 and E10 e-book readers at CES

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HTC’s Touch Pro2 running Ubuntu Linux

03 09 10'

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source – engadget.com by Tim Stevens

Ubuntu hits HTC's Touch Pro 2, is any Windows Mobile handset safe?

If there’s one thing we’re pretty sure Windows Phone 7 Series will be worse at than its Windows Mobile precursor it’s in the running of various and sundry other operating systems. We’ve seen Android running on seemingly every WinMo handset ever created and more recently Unbuntu has been receiving the mobile treatment. Last month it was on an Xperia X1, now an HTC Touch Pro2 is getting a taste. A modder who goes by the handle sebbo90 is the one responsible for this, running basically the same technique as used earlier on the X1. It looks quite easy: just download a 200MB zip, extract it to your phone, then run an exe within. A few moments later you’ll be in open source heaven, and, from what we can tell looking at the video below, it works remarkably well. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to hit up eBay to find a used handset and get hacking.

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Freescale’s 7-inch tablet runs Android, Chromium OS or Linux, costs $200 (video)

03 09 10'

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source – engadget.com By Vladislav Savov

Remember the $200 smartbook reference design that we saw at CES this year? Well, it’s back, it’s holding on to that same price and 7-inch enclosure, but this time it’s also showing off an expanded OS compatibility. Adapting the open source Chromium OS and another Linux variant to the ARM architecture of the prototype device was apparently not much of a hurdle for Freescale, who has an Android option in the works as well and claims to be just optimizing and enhancing the user experience at this point. Presumably one of the enhancements will be the installation of a capacitive touchscreen as the present demonstration requires either a mouse and keyboard or a resistive torture test to operate, but we’ll accept the company’s explanation that this is just a proof of concept and not the final product. Slide past the break to see some HTML5 video running on this bargain bin tablet, and hope that your friendly neighborhood OEM picks these designs up for some retail action.

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Sony 3DTV release dates and pricing for Japan

03 09 10'

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source – engadget.com By Richard Lawler

Kicking off an expected repeat flood of 3DTV info over the next few days (Samsung and Panasonic both have events scheduled over the next couple of days) Sony has revealed pricing and shipping information for its new televisions and related accessories in Japan. The new sets share that sweet/ominous monolithic style of the already available NX800 series (also announced today in Japan, along with fellow 2D-only HX700 LCD and DVR-packing BX30H televisions,) with the edge-lit LED LX900 bringing the entire 3D package. With IR emitter built in and two pairs of RealD active shutter glasses, all you’ll need to add is a source to the 60-, 51-, 46- and 40-inch models, ranging in price from ¥580,000 ($6,444) to ¥290,000 ($3,222.) Even if the TDG-BR100 / TDG-BR50 3D glasses (also available as an accessory for ¥12,000 ($133) or so) aren’t on your face this WiFi-connected abyss of entertainment will look back into you, using face tracking to detect if someone is sitting too close and warn them to move back, as well as dimming and eventually turning off the screen if you leave the room or simply looked away from the TV for an extended period.

Want to get the full 3D effect with the LED backlit HX900 and edge-lit HX800? Expect to purchase the glasses and TMR-BR100 IR emitter (¥5,000 or $55) separately, or just live a 2D lifestyle and know the 3D is there if you ever want to upgrade. Feel free to wander through Sony Japan’s machine-translated website for more specs and prices of these June & July scheduled displays or alternatively, wait a little while, enjoy the trailer embedded after the break, and we should get some find out U.S.-specific details soon that will likely be considerably easier on the wallet.

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ASUS Eee PC 1005PR Crystal HD and high-res screen

03 09 10'

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source – engadget.com by Joanna Stern

Today in Tales from ASUS we bring you the story of the 10.1-inch Eee PC 1005PR. While we didn’t catch this one hiding out in the overflowing CeBIT booth, it appears big A has gone and swapped out the screen on the 1005PE for one with a 1366 x 768-resolution and tucked a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator inside, which means the little lappie should be able to handle some YouTube HD (at least after you download 10.1 Beta 3). Nothing special apart from that, as it’s standard netbook down the line: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450, 1GB of RAM, and 320GB hard drive. No word on pricing or availability, but we’re guessing it’ll probably come in at under $400, like the Dell Mini 10 and HP Mini 210. It may not be a bad deal in the end, but we’re still holding out for the Ion 2-equipped 1201PN and for ASUS to someday slow down the frenetic pace of Eee PC iteration.

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Music Planet waterproof speaker ball makes bath time more melodic

03 09 10'

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source – engadget.com

Remember that waterproof Bluetooth speaker that you picked up last summer after none other than Billy Corgan endorsed it? Here’s comes round two. Available exclusively in the Land of the Rising Sun (surprised?), the Music Planet speaker ball is IPX7-certified to shrug off water damage for up to 30 minutes at a depth of one meter, and it’s designed so that the speaker itself sits just above the water line. Internally, you’ll find an FM radio tuner, an SD / SDHC card slot for loading up MP3 files, a USB socket (good luck with that non-waterproof thumb drive) and an alarm clock. You know, in case you fall asleep underneath two feet of soapy water. Power comes from six AA cells, which provides enough juice for 13 straight hours of your own jams or 28 hours of whatever’s on the radio; it’s up for order right now at ¥10,500 ($117), but sadly, no fancy shower gels are bundled in. Opportunity, missed.

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