Looking to get a Bluetooth earpiece without actually upping your tool factor by 40x or so? Good luck. Helium Digital's so-called alternative (that'd be the HDBT-990 Bluetooth wristband) was recently reviewed by our iPhone-lovin' pals in the Great White North, and while they found it to work well when it came to handling calls without actually using the speaker and microphone within the iPhone 3GS, everything else about it was ho hum at best. There's no inbuilt LCD for watching Caller ID streams, the mini-USB jack was "flimsy," and there's still the issue of this unit being at least somewhat unsightly. It's also $90, which puts it just north of the all-important "ah, who cares" range for most of you price-conscience consumers. Hit the source link for their full impressions, but don't be shocked if you come away still in search of the aforementioned mystery device.Helium Digital HDBT-990 Bluetooth wristband gets reviewed, given 3.5 Jack Bauers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Do you think non-disclosure agreements apply if you're one of the guys who built the company you represent? Probably not, as evidenced by Shigeru Miyamoto, who recently took the opportunity -- while receiving an award, no less -- to blab about forthcoming hardware and games based around the MotionPlus peripheral. There wasn't much content to his mentions, beyond us now knowing that he's actively engaged in the design of multiple games outside of the next Zelda iteration, but this is the firmest confirmation yet that the Wii is set for aWiiplacement. Parsing this with earlier comments from Miyamoto-san would suggest the company will be looking to optimize its present formula (maybe with a touch of HD?) rather than revolutionize what is already a wildly successful console. Until then, let's just be happy that one of gaming's patriarchs is still going strong and dropping crumbs of knowledge for us undeserving earthlings.Nintendo's Miyamoto casually references new hardware, MotionPlus games originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Toyota just announced a recall of its 2010 hybrid cars. Four hundred thousand worth. The reason? A change in "brake feeling" caused by faulty antilock brakingsoftware. There is no fix for cars on the road yet.
This problem, unrelated to the sticky gas pedal issue that other drivers complained about. But I'm still wondering what exactly is bothering our Prius-loving friend Woz, who claims he has a faulty cruise control issue that is software related, not mechanical.
Remember that old joke about if cars were as crash prone as computers? Yeah, not funny in 2010. [CNN]
newVideoPlayer( {"type":"video","player":"http://www.youtube.com/v/vlWOocHwcLo&hl=en&fs=1&fmt=22","customParams":[],"width":500,"height":412,"ratio":0.824,"flashData":"","embedName":null,"objectId":null,"noEmbed":false,"source":"youtube"} ); The good news first: Adobe's promising Flash 10.1 is going to hit smartphones—Android, WebOS, Windows Mobile—and desktops in the "first half" of this year, a slightly less squishy date. And it'll come over the air. The bad part?
Well it's bad for Android, anyway: You're gonna need Android 2.1. At least. Because it provides some access Adobe needs to make the Flash magic happen. So, sorry everything but the Droid and Nexus One, at least for the moment. The "over the air" thing is also kind of "up in the air" as to what that means: It could come from your carrier, it could come from your phonemaker, or failing all else, it could come from Adobe. Which means, Flash isn't necessarily going to hit your phone at the same time as everybody else's. Depends on your phone. But, they're betting that over half of smartphones—53 percent—will have Flash Player by 2012. Not surprisingly, Adobe says Flash 10.1 is going to be all over some tablets, too, with accelerated performance on Nvidia's Tegra 2, Qualcomm's Snapdragon (like what's in the Nexus One), and Freescale's i.MX515.
Lastly, Adobe would like you to know that this whole Adobe vs. HTML5 thing is silly, since they totally support HTML5, like all web standards. They love them some web standards, they say. But! They would also like you to note that HTML5 standardization is years away, and Flash works right now. And the reason you notice crappier performance on the Mac is sorta the Mac's fault, they say, because they need more access to APIs and they get half-assed crash reports. Plus, Adobe claims, apps tend to run faster in Windows than OS X generally, because performance is about 20 percent worse using OS X's GCC compiler, not to mention performance varies even within an OS, since Flash runs 20 percent faster in IE8 than Firefox, for instance. Either way, performance will be better on Mac withFlash 10.1, since it's shifting over to using CoreAnimation.
Okay, you can resume your "death to Flash!" chants now (even though it's not going anywhere for a while, people!). [Adobe]
Finally making the transition from the trade show floor to retail shelving are Panasonic's famed Viera 3D plasma HDTVs. The company has just announced it will be launching two 1080p panelson April 23 in Japan, priced at ¥530,000 ($5,932) for the 54-inch P54VT2 and ¥430,000 ($4,813) for its smaller sibling, the P50VT2 (pictured after the break). For your money, you'll be getting those deep, deep blacks that ensure a ridiculous 5,000,000:1 native contrast ratio, a plethora of inputs highlighted by four HDMI jacks, and of course a pair of those inescapable active shutter glasses. Don't worry though, the screens are capable of working at the necessary 120Hz to ensure smooth frame rates for each eye. Whether the premium paid for 3D is worth it, on the other hand, remains a question best left for each deep-pocketed consumer to make on his own.Continue reading Panasonic TH-P54VT2 takes plasma HDTVs into 3D territory
Panasonic TH-P54VT2 takes plasma HDTVs into 3D territory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
With opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games scheduled for Friday, Microsoft Silverlight, MSN and Bing teams have worked with NBCOlympics.com to deliver 2010 Winter Games to the online audience. Silverlight, a cross-browser, cross-platform Web plug-in, and Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming technology, will power the interactive online player on NBCOlympics.com. Features include:
- HD quality video of consistent quality, aswell as DVR-style controls that enhance navigation and allow fans to pause and rewind the 400 hours of live and 1,000 of on-demand Olympic footage.
- Silverlight Enhanced HD photo galleries that enable fans to can zoom in and out of their favorite images, as well as explore photo galleries through the ?mosaic wall.?
- MSN and Bing provide exclusive content that provide consumers with a unique experience of the Winter Olympic Games.
- MSN provides fast, comprehensive results for all 86 Winter Olympics events, providing live results, statistical summaries, elimination brackets, as well as mobile access to the Winter Games via MSN Mobile, powered by NBC Olympics.
- As the only search engine providing official video of the Winter Games, Bing allows consumers to find Instant Answers on popular athletes, sporting events and medal counts, as well as updating the homepage daily with Olympics images. Bing Maps StreetSide also allows people to visually explore the streets of Vancouver and Whistler (the first international destination on Bing Maps); and interactive mapping applications that allows fans to track medal counts and athletes by country.
You can check out the Silverlight-powered video experience now on NBCOlympics.com now, with more content to come as the 2010 Winter Games get started next week.
You can check out the NBC Sports press release or the below information for all the details.
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Google readily admits that its Nexus One customer support at launch was lacking. However, the Goog says that it's committed to improving the experience as it blazes a path into the world of consumer handset sales. Today, more than a month since the launch of the Nexus One, Google is offering owners access to a real live person via 888-48NEXUS (63987). The new support line is operational from 07:00am to 10:00pm PST and augments Google's support forums, FAQs and email support. Unfortunately, Google's live support line seems limited to status and shipping issues -- for live tech support you'll still have to call either HTC customer care number or T-Mobile depending upon the issue. And of course, the whole thing changes if you're an international user. As convoluted as it all sounds, an unamed Google spokesperson still claims that "live phone support from Google, combined with an optimized on-line support experience, enables a superior Nexus One customer experience." Sure it does: the average consumer just loves looking through on-line forums and FAQs to solve issues before picking up the phone to complain.[Thanks, Phil L.]
Google starts live phone support for Nexus One owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The vision of ebooks Google has presented to publishers: allowing people to print copies, cut and paste portions, and paying publishers 63 percent of the revenue. The vision the publishers presented in return: Go eff yourself.
That's right, Google's finally getting around to opening an ebook store too—called Google Editions, and it's been in the works for a while—the idea being that people will be able to read the books on any internet-connected device.
What's incredible is how the Times says negotiations are now proceeding. Now that Apple and Amazon are fighting over publishers and their books—imagine how oh-so-hotly desired they must suddenly feel—publishers have real power to negotiate, and it comes with wondrous effects, like getting an information monolith like Google to actually back down. There will be no printing, no cutting and pasting. And 70 percent, like what Apple and Amazon are now offering, is apparently starting to sound dandier to Google. Another point Google gave in on, surprisingly, is search. Previously, they planned to make up to 20 percent of every book they sold through the store searchable, but that wasn't kosher with some of the publishing execs, so now they can choose to opt out of search.
Google finally jumping into selling ebooks, with the idea of being the ebook seller to everyone—or at least, everyone not toting a special reading device, just your average thing with a screen and internet access—could definitely shake things up even more than they already are. And you know, a Chrome OS tablet with an ebook store would be slightly more interesting as a cheaper iPad rival.
Publishers should enjoy the attention, and power, while it lasts. Because it won't. [NYT]
Back at CES, we were pretty excited to get our hands on Notion Ink's far out, Pixel Qi display-boasting reader, Adam. Well, Notion Ink is on the move, and encouraging development for the Tegra-powered little devil is apparently a top priority. The company has unveiled plans to hold an App Competition with one million dollars in prize money for the development of Adam-compatible software. There are no final details about the contest yet, but we think we'll probably be hearing more about itnext week at MWC. Slashgear's got some interesting renders Notion Ink sent over which give us an idea of what a final production model might look like -- and it's definitely different thanthe prototype we saw in Las Vegas. The company also told Slashgear that it's considering having two retail versions of the Adam -- but has only said that one might measure 12.9mm thick, and the other 11.6mm thick -- so we're not sure what other differences might be in tow. We'll let you know when we hear more details about that million dollar prize money, though.
Notion Ink to have competition to encourage development for Adam reader, might release two versions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Inkless / tonerless printers aren't exactly new, but here's a more novel approach: inkless, tonerless, and completely reusable. The PrePeat rewritable printer is exactly that: using special paper made of PET plastic, you can make all the flowcharts and meeting notes you need, and when you want to start fresh, feed the paper back in to start fresh. Upfront cost is 500,000 yen (about $5,600 in US) for the printer and 300 yen for each sheet, in lots of 1,000 -- which we're taking to mean at least another 300,000 yen / $3,360 to get some use out of it. Each piece of paper is said to work about 1,000 times, but no word on how much (if any) history can be extracted from the materials -- just keep that in mind should sensitive information be your daily trade. Video demonstration after the break.Continue reading PrePeat rewritable printer lets you undo print jobs, no ink or toner used
PrePeat rewritable printer lets you undo print jobs, no ink or toner used originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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 09.02. 10:30 | Kotaku
That means a 1080p video signal and 5.1 surround sound, just like the PS3 and Xbox video marketplaces can handle. Of course, options will initially be limited, as only 6% of Netflix's library supports this kind of quality, but there'll be plenty more HD content available as time goes on and more films are released to that standard. 1080p streaming is due sometime later this year, and as far as consoles are concerned will only be available to 360 and PS3 owners. Netflix Streaming Getting a 1080p Upgrade [Gizmodo] 09.02. 10:00 | Kotaku
During the company's financial results report from earlier today, EA claim that from April 2009 to December 2009, it was the biggest-selling publisher of packaged goods in North America and Europe (Europe, we already knew). Not all goods, mind you. Just packaged ones. Still, you may ask yourself how the hell that happens considering Activision is home to World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero and Call of Duty, but take a closer look at those titles. World of Warcraft is built on taking money from existing customers, not fresh unit sales. And that's online money, not"packaged goods" money. Guitar Hero, and it's new spin-off DJ Hero, both had highly disappointing years. And while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the biggest-selling game in the world last year, it was only one game, it's 11.86 million units sold hardly enough to count for much against EA as a whole, for whom FIFA 10 - at 9.7 million sold - came close to beating it on its own. EA, meanwhile, had FIFA 10, Madden 10, Dragon Age, Left 4 Dead 2 and The Sims 3 on its plate for 2009, all great games, all big sellers. Now if only the publisher could find a way to translate that into profits.... 09.02. 10:00 | Joystiq  The initially Xbox 360-exclusive BioShock was one of the major salvos in the ongoing console wars, waged on message boards and comment sections everywhere (including right here on this very site). Speaking with Destructoid, BioShock 2 producer Jordan Thomas expressed hope that the multi-platform sequel -- which launches today -- doesn't play a similarly divisive role. Accordingto Thomas, "platform partisanship" is just silly and it "seems to flood the critical channels and drown out other creative discourse."Which sounds about right -- whenever a piece of news comes up that swings even close to the differences between the various consoles, the discussion usually degenerates into the same old arguments, and new and more interesting issues get drowned out like Andrew Ryan's old city. 2K Marin didn't askin so many words, but we will: Would you kindly all just get along?
09.02. 09:30 | Kotaku
Diablo III has four character classes announced so: Witch Doctor, Wizard, Barbarian, and Monk. This concept art is for the female version of the existing monk. The character's official page has the female in-game character model as well. 09.02. 09:00 | Kotaku
Reader deanbmmv did. His guide explains the star system, profile pages, the hashtag system and even how to view a NSFW-free Kotaku. There are nuts and bolts things like how to do things in comments like embed images, put HTML and link to other comments. There are also housekeeping bits like how to submit Comments of the Week, a breakdown of special posts and a refresher on general etiquette. This is the guide that we should have made, but never did. Like we said, Deanbmmv did. And for that, you should thank him. We also thank reader bakagaijin for nominating deanbmmv's comment for Comment of the Week — we just did one better and decided to give the comment its own post. 09.02. 09:00 | Joystiq  [Prinny Blog]Disgaea developer and publisher Nippon Ichi didn't have the best 2009, dood. Last week, the company announced its earnings for the first nine months of its fiscal year (ending December 31, 2009), recording operating profits 97.5% lower than those of 2008. This week, reacting to the news of the precipitous drop, investors freaked out a bit and the price of NIS stock on the Japanese JASDAQ exchange dropped ¥7,000 ($78.42), almost 20%. JASDAQ froze the price, or it might have dropped further. Siliconera posted a list of all recent and upcoming NIS games. Have a look -- we're sure NIS America would really, really appreciate a purchase of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love or Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman 2 in the next few months.
09.02. 08:30 | Kotaku
Below you'll find some polls. The second allows you to select multiple options, since there may be more than one factor contributing to your decision. We'd be ever so grateful if you could respond (honestly!), and help give us an idea of the breakdown between HDTV ("High Definition Television) and SDTV (Standard Definition Television) users out there among our readership. By participating, you'll be contributing to science. And who knows. We may even be able to do something useful with all this data... 09.02. 08:00 | Kotaku
09.02. 08:00 | Joystiq  We're pretty sure that the new Mass Effect 2-centric video from Mega64 that you'll find after the break is pretty funny. The crew seems to be grilling everyday citizens on censorship, specifically relating to all the xenofornication going down aboard the Normandy.We say "pretty sure" and "seems" because ... well, we can't watch this sort of thing with the sound on because it makes us too uncomfortable. There, we said it out loud. That means we also have no idea if the language in the video is safe for work, since we can't hear it. Let's just play it safe and assume it's not, OK? Continue reading Mega64 talks Mass Effect 2 sex censorship
09.02. 07:30 | Kotaku
Speaking with Sony on the official European PlayStation blog, the game's producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama have said:
Less like elephants, then. More like cheetahs. Nimble, spiky-haired, sword-wielding teenage cheetahs. An Interview With Final Fantasy XIII's Kitase And Toriyama [PlayStation] |
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AV aficionados looking for a little more shine from their Netflix titles streamed over 360 or PS3 are in luck, as the film rental company announced today plans tobeam its movies to your TV in "full" HD.
For a while now, Activision Blizzard has held the title of 
Commenting. Regular features. Kotaku culture. If you are new to the site, there's a lot to absorb. It would be great if somebody condensed everything into one easy to follow guide. Somebody did.
Final Fantasy XIII has been in development for over five years, has involved hundreds of staff and has cost the publisher a ton of money. So youcan see why there'll never be another Final Fantasy game like it!