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- Activision cranks up Wii Guitar Hero III disc replacement program
Filed under: Gaming
Select owners of Guitar Hero III for Wii have been moshing uncontrollably as best they can in mono for months on end, but it seems as if Activision has finally got its interconnects sorted and will start issuing replacement discs. According to direct end-user reports and the (admittedly blurry) shots in the gallery below, the firm is now dishing out pre-paid envelopes in which customers have to ship back their faulty GH III disc and wait "3 to 4 weeks" before getting a new, stereo-enabled one free of charge. Live sans your favorite game for a month, or keep rockin' in the monaural world? Tough call, indeed.
[Thanks, Sam K.]
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/activision-cranks-up-wii-guitar-hero-iii-disc-replacement-progra/#comments - First impressions of the Cloudbook: rough around the edges
Filed under: Laptops
The folks over at Laptop already hooked us up with some unboxing pics of Everex's Cloudbook, and now they've posted up some quickie first impressions of the would-be Eee killer -- and it looks like Everex could use that extra delay time to polish things up. The Cloudbook's gOS build was found to be reasonably speedy and the minuscule trackpad designed for thumb usage actually grew on the reviewers, but what really killed the machine was a host of video glitches Everex says are the result of the wrong OS version being installed on the machine. Still, we're not ready to give up on this little guy yet -- we'll wait to see what the formal reviews say before crowing the Eee the winner of this round.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/first-impressions-of-the-cloudbook-rough-around-the-edges/#comments - Cost of shooting down a spy satellite: $60m. Look on Alien's face when the missile hits: priceless.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Sure, it seemed like the Pentagon had things wrapped up when they told us that they'd be aiming their rockets skyward and blasting that pesky zombie-spore and / or Alien-carrying satellite out of the sky. Of course, they failed to tell us the price: sixty million dollars. What seemed at first to be a simple game of Missile Command has become an extensive military operation, involving modified rockets and control systems, hundreds of industry experts and scientists, as well as the Aegis sea-defense cruiser accompanied by two destroyers. The Navy will wait until the space shuttle lands next Wednesday before beginning operations, and they say they're fully prepared to bring W.O.P.R. online if anything goes wrong. The kicker? They'll probably miss.
[Thanks, Laura]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/cost-of-shooting-down-a-spy-satellite-60m-look-on-aliens-fac/#comments - Toshiba pulling the plug on HD DVD already? - Yup it's over.
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Japan's NHK has followed up The Hollywood Reporter's earlier indications Toshiba was ready to dump its money-losing HD DVD business, with news that the company is prepared to cease manufacturing software and hardware, at a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. This caps the worst week ever for red, when HD DVD was dumped by Netflix and Wal-mart, pushed to the background by Best Buy and put on -- an apparently incredibly short -- deathwatch right here. Toshiba is mum on the subject right now, but we hear there's plenty of cheap players and movies in a dumpster around back of the HQ.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; via Reuters; warning, Japanese read link]
Update: Along with an English translation of the NHK's article (Thanks sfditty!) comes additional confirmation from Reuters sources, it's a wrap. Toshiba is shutting down its DVD manufacturing facilities in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, while official word is expected "soon".Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/toshiba-pulling-the-plug-on-hd-dvd-already/#comments - Samsung's See'N'Search set-top TV / Internet box demo video
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Samsung's See'N'Search set-top box that intelligently and automatically pulls content from the internet to match whatever TV show is on sounded nice enough, but we wanted to see it in action. Apparently the good people at Samsung have also perfected their wish-granting technology to match the the unit's metadata scrapers, because here's a demo video. Check it out after the break, and be mindful of your thoughts, wouldn't want to distract Samsung's R&D from preparing that sandwich we just telepathically requested.Continue reading Samsung's See'N'Search set-top TV / Internet box demo video
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/samsungs-seensearch-set-top-tv-internet-box-demo-video/#comments - PSP super-hack hits the internet
Filed under: Gaming
Well you knew it was coming. That PSP hack we told you about a few weeks ago has hit the interblogs, and we predict all hell will be breaking loose any moment. Un-retired homebrew mastermind Dark_AleX has come up with a little number called Timemachine, which is capable of spinning your PSP back to all sorts of crazy firmwares at the touch of a button. We know you can hardly stand finishing this post due to excitement, so... get out of here and grab it!
[Thanks, Craig]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/psp-super-hack-hits-the-internet/#comments - Onkyo unveils another audiophile PC, the APX-2 HD
Filed under: Media PCs
Onyko's cranked out a couple slick little audio-oriented desktops and media PCs, and its latest carries the tradition on in fine form -- the new APX-2 HD audiophile PC actually looks more like a high-end shelf system than a PC, if you ask us. The compact unit houses a 1.66GHz T5500 Core 2 Duo, 1GB of RAM, a vibration-isolated 500GB disk and the same digital amplifier found in the PCI-200 sound card, which bypasses Vista's sound mixer and channels audio directly through to avoid HD Audio signal loss. Sadly, this one looks to be Japan-only, but if you're headed out that way, you'll want an extra couple grand in your pocket to snag one of these bad boys.
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/onkyo-unveils-another-audiophile-pc-the-apx-2-hd/#comments - Kota the Triceratops makes our childhood toys look like wooden blocks
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Robots
As if there weren't enough toys out there already to make us grown-ups incredibly envious of kids today, Playskool's now taken the wraps off its new Kota the Triceratops "toy," which looks to be the closest thing to a Pleo that you (or, rather, your kids) can actually ride. While we're guessing Kota's few notches below Pleo on the robo-evolutionary ladder, the 40-inch tall toy at least has movement sensors on nine areas of its body, and is able to react to you by moving its head, tail, mouth, and horns, not to mention play "adventure-themed songs" at the push of a button. Look for it to be available this fall for about $300, with six D cell batteries required to power it.
[Via Popgadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/kota-the-triceratops-makes-our-childhood-toys-look-like-wooden-b/#comments - Everex's Cloudbook delayed again, again
Filed under: Laptops
Oh Cloudbook -- it's like you just keep floating off on us. We all thought Everex's little Eee competitor was going to drop today (the 15th), but since that turned out to be a bust, we started to get curious. As you might have guessed, the $399 UMPC has been ever-so-slightly delayed, again, this time until February 21st (or so they say). We've covered an unboxing if you're really jonesing for a look at the gOS-sporting device -- but keep in mind you could ruin that x-mas-morning feeling of wonderment when you pop open the box.
[Thanks, Travis]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/everexs-cloudbook-delayed-again-again/#comments - Chumby gets big firmware update, general public now invited to buy
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Following a so-called "insider's release" last year that targeted early adopters with beta software running on final-spec hardware, Chumby has finally completed and rolled out a somewhat massive firmware update for the plush lil' buggers that adds significant functionality -- significant enough, in fact, that they're now being sold disclaimer-free to all comers. Besides a long, what's-what list of bug fixes, the real draw in the new firmware is fairly comprehensive support for a variety of internet radio services, a feature that previous builds technically supported but had no user interface for (they are Linux-based, after all, and totally hackable). So yeah, if a cute touchscreen with an open-source platform, Flash player, and integrated speakers is just what the doctor ordered, you can pick one up now without the worry of pre-release software getting in your way for $179.95 in black, white, or "latte."
[Thanks, Kurt]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/chumby-gets-big-firmware-update-general-public-now-invited-to-b/#comments - Lenovo's X300 gets splayed in detail
Filed under: Laptops
Sure, you probably caught a brief glimpse of the X300's innards earlier this morning, but the photos waiting for you in the read link below are what we nerds really crave. Some lucky cat in Los Angeles managed to wrap his paws around Lenovo's forthcoming machine, and rather than booting it up and keeping it a secret, he whipped out the pliers and went to work. You know the drill -- tap that link below for all the guts 'n bolts you can handle.
[Thanks, Loran M.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/lenovos-x300-gets-splayed-in-detail/#comments - Movie Gadget Friday: Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Filed under: Features, Misc. Gadgets
Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.
Last time on Movie Gadget Friday, we entered the 8th dimension with The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, but this week, we're setting the dial back to the 1978 version of the Seventh Millenia in the original Battlestar Galactica. Filled with feathered 70's haircuts, insect Ovion aliens, and, of course, Cylons, the movie is an underrated, campy classic.
Muffit II Robo-Daggit
Created as a robotic replacement to a daggit, Muffit II is a life-size, artificial intelligence prototype developed by Dr. Wilker on the Battlestar Galactica. Muffit II has an integrated visual response system, designed to help train the robotic daggit. By scanning a picture of a person into its circuits, Muffit II actively responds and interacts with them. The out-of-the-box system is able to handle basic moves such as sitting and wiggling its ears. However, with time, the robo-daggit can learn to be smart, performing such tasks as disarming Cylons by biting them in the leg while humans try to escape rapid fire. We're patiently awaiting a Muffit II vs. Roboquad throw down challenge. More after the break.Continue reading Movie Gadget Friday: Battlestar Galactica (1978)
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/movie-gadget-friday-battlestar-galactica-1978/#comments - GeForce 8 GPUs to acquire PhysX support via software download
Filed under: Gaming
Good news for folks with a GeForce 8 GPU and lots of questions about how the recent Ageia acquisition would affect them: your current card will be receiving PhysX support. When NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was questioned in a recent conference call, he noted that the firm was currently "working towards the physics-engine-to-CUDA port," and it could be delivered as "a software update" to every card that's CUDA-enabled (read: all of the GeForce 8 GPUs). Sadly, the bigwig still wouldn't say when to expect the release of the first PhysX port, but we really can't imagine it taking too awfully long now.
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/geforce-8-gpus-to-acquire-physx-support-via-software-download/#comments - Insignia photo frame virus much nastier than originally thought
Filed under: Displays
Ugh, we were already sick of digital photo frames -- and now it looks those now-discontinued virus-ridden Insignia units from Best Buy and several other models produced in China were carrying a much nastier trojan that we'd originally heard. According to an analyst form Computer Associates, the trojan, called Mocmex, is able to block more than 100 types of security and anti-virus software from killing it, and bypasses the Windows firewall to download files from remote locations, spreading them randomly over your hard drive and any portable storage device you plug into your PC -- like, for example, a digital photo frame. The trojan is apparently set to only steal gaming passwords at present, but CA says it's capable of stealing nearly any information on your machine, and thinks it might be a test for a much worse virus yet to come. Infected frames have come from Sam's Club, Target and Costco, in addition to Best Buy, so we'd say to avoid picking one up until this mess gets sorted out -- or, you know, forever.
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/insignia-photo-frame-virus-much-nastier-than-originally-thought/#comments - How would you change the Apple TV (take 2)?
Filed under: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Yeah, the Apple TV (take 2) update took a bit longer than promised to actually arrive on the scene, but now that it's available for existing ATV owners to chew on, we're interested in hearing from its toughest critics. Rumors of Apple finally enabling some sort of HD movie / television show download service had been making the rounds for what seemed like ages, and after months of waiting for a move to be made, take 2 made its debut under the shadow of the MacBook Air.
Aside from finally offering up 1080p support and giving users the ability to rent HD flicks (though only some with Dolby Digital 5.1), the v2.0 upgrade changed up the look and added in Flickr integration. Granted, the innards here have remained the same, but we're not just interested in finding out what you adore / detest about the newest update. Oh no -- we're also curious to know how you think the existing hardware is handling its new duties. Has anything slowed down? Are you still (or were you ever) satisfied with the port assortment? Have you found yourself itching to downgrade? We know, software updates as substantial as this onehardly evernever leave everyone happy, and while we've done some sizing up of our own in regard to HD quality, how would you like to see things tweaked for take 3?Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/how-would-you-change-the-apple-tv-take-2/#comments - Digital TV upgrade vouchers to go out soon
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
The digital TV transition might be confusing sales clerks nationwide, but if there's anything that most people understand, it's cold, hard cash -- and if you applied for one of the FCC's switchover coupons, you might want to start checking that mailbox: the $40 vouchers are being mailed out soon. 9,700 stores are already set to accept the coupon for approved digital TV tuners next week, with another 7,000 to come online in the next few months. Of course, only over-the-air television viewers are affected -- cable and satellite customers will continue to
be swindled mercilessly by Comcastget TV with no disruption at all when analog broadcasts are switched off.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/digital-tv-upgrade-vouchers-to-go-out-soon/#comments - Microsoft teams with Russian firm to offer subscription-based PCs
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
It's not the first time it's dabbled in subscription-based PCs, but Microsoft looks to be taking things up another notch, with it now making a fairly big push into Russia. To that end, the company's teamed up with Russian cellphone operator Mobile TeleSystems OJSC, which will be offering the subscription-based PCs to all 85 million of its customers as part of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential program, although there's no word on exactly what the PC's will cost just yet. Details on the PCs themselves are also expectedly light, although they'll not surprisingly run Windows Vista, and will reportedly pack built-in mobile broadband access, which certainly makes sense given that it's a cellphone company offering them. According to The New York Times, the two companies are also working on some unspecified "mobile communications services" that'll be able to be accessed using the PCs, but it seems we'll have to wait for the June launch date before we know much more about that as well.
[Via The Open Road]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/microsoft-teams-with-russian-firm-to-offer-subscription-based-pc/#comments - Niveus pledges allegiance to Blu-ray, bids adieu to HD DVD
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Media PCs
Not like it's any huge surprise or anything -- after all, the HD DVD deathwatch is already in full effect -- but Niveus has just informed us that due to "customer demand and format war influences," it will be adding support for Blu-ray and "ceasing production of HD DVD-based servers." According to CEO Tim Cutting, "incorporating Blu-ray into its offerings has always been part of the plan, but the demand from its customers, market trends, and recent announcements expedited its decision to come to market with Blu-ray support sooner rather than later." Adding more salt to the wound, he continued by saying that "while it has stood behind HD DVD as a viable high-definition platform, company engineers have been running Blu-ray in its testing facilities and are very impressed with the performance and integration with its servers." Another one bites the proverbial dust, eh?
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/niveus-pledges-allegiance-to-blu-ray-bids-adieu-to-hd-dvd/#comments - "YahooPhone" and "YPhone" trademarks filed for... by Hop-on?
Filed under: Cellphones
We've heard a lot of talk from Hop-on, makers of all those cheap cellphones that never seem to go anywhere, but the company may have bitten off a little more than it can chew with its latest trademark registration filings for "YahooPhone" and "YPhone." Yep, that's right -- those names bring to mind any massive consumer-oriented companies that might not be happy? Oh, right. There's been some speculation that Hop-on is actually developing a phone for Yahoo!, since it has some deals in place with AT&T and Verizon, but it's pretty unlikely the company is also in charge of branding to the point where it's registering trademarks. No, our guess is that someone's hoping that the folks up in Sunnyvale are a little too distracted by the clumsy advances of one Mr. Ballmer to keep track of a little thing like potentially infringing trademark registrations -- yeah, we don't think that's going to work out so well for you, guys.
[Via Trademork]
Read - YahooPhone filing
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/yahoophone-and-yphone-trademarks-filed-for-by-hop-on/#comments - Panasonic and Hitachi finalize paperwork in LCD allianceWe figured it was coming, we knew it was coming, and sure enough, it has arrived. All build-up aside, the LCD deal -- not to be confused with the already implemented plasma arrangement -- between Matsushita (Panasonic) and Hitachi has finally been finalized, and under the terms of the agreement, Matsushita will acquire a 24.9-percent stake in Hitachi Displays, Ltd. by March 31st, pending regulatory approval. It should be noted, however, that Hitachi and Canon (who is technically still a part of this wheelin' and dealin' triangle) are still working to hammer out a formal contract, but you can get all up in the fine print by tapping the read link below.
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/panasonic-and-hitachi-finalize-paperwork-in-lcd-alliance/#comments - MacBook Pro mockup contest results: the winner is you!
Filed under: Laptops
When we saw Spicu's Air-inspired MacBook Pro mockup last week, we asked if you could guys could do better. In terms of true-to-reality, the jury's still out until Apple hits us with the truth, but when it comes to "imagination" and "rainbows," you guys win in a landslide. Up top we have the MacBook Pro touch from Alex W, who slapped an exterior touchscreen onto the MacBook Pro's lid for maximum optimism. Check out the gallery below for the rest of the entries so far, with descriptions if they sent 'em. Thanks so much to everybody who participated, and be sure to check in next time when we prototype new facial hair configurations for the Engadget staff -- sure to be a riot.
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/macbook-pro-mockup-contest-results-the-winner-is-you/#comments - HD DVD deathwatch: we're making it official
Filed under: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment
HD DVD fans, we hate to do this to you, but it's time we called it. HD DVD is now officially on Engadget deathwatch. We haven't put anything important on deathwatch since TiVo in 2005 (which, as you may recall, still stands); but just as then, we have to step back from our personal preferences and investments in media and gear, ignore the rumors and hearsay, and take a close look at where things stand. We don't need Michael Bay to tell us the writing's on the wall.
So far this battle's been decided primarily by two factors: studio support and ubiquity of content. It's clear Sony's camp couldn't even come close to trumping Toshiba in hardware price war that's ensued over the past couple of years. But as it turns out, consumers that just spent thousands on a new HDTV weren't too concerned with a couple hundred dollars between players, and despite whatever users price won HD DVD, the PS3 Blu-ray trojan kept the competition at bay. Meanwhile, most consumers were too smart and too cautious to buy early in a format war. Most have simply waited this thing out, and while Warner's announcement to go exclusively Blu was obviously huge, it was only indicative of a trend -- it didn't set it.
If you look at the timeline, even before Warner announced its intentions to go Blu-ray exclusive HD DVD's studio base was already shrunken from its heyday, leaving it with fewer titles both in number and sales. Warner was just another push in the direction things were already headed -- the numbers already consistently showed Blu was ahead in media and install base, which has only become far more exaggerated in the last couple of months now that Blu amassed some 70% of studio-released titles.
But if you ask us, it's the ubiquity of content that sealed the deal. It wasn't until Blockbuster and later Netflix -- two of the three most widely used disc rental businesses in the US -- went Blu-ray exclusively that we knew HD DVD wasn't long for this world.
So here's the deal, Toshiba. As much as we hate putting any worthy technology on deathwatch, for the sake of the greater good we hope you guys just roll over and cut your losses so we can all move on. But if you really want off this deathwatch, you're not only going to have to retain Paramount (which owns Dreamworks) and Universal, you also need to win at least a few back from Blu (Warner and Disney would be a great start), and get hardware in consumers' hands, even if it means practically giving it away. It's not going to be easy -- hell, we think it's actually pretty hopeless -- but hey, that's why you're on deathwatch, innit?
P.S. -Special for this occasion, we've also brought our Blu-ray vs HD DVD: State of the Division charts up to date and added a few new tables.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/hd-dvd-deathwatch-were-making-it-official/#comments - HP iPAQ 610 series soldiers on outside US
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
So apparently HP just has a very special form of hatred for its native soil, because that iPAQ 610 series with that nifty touch sensitive scroll wheel embedded in the keypad now appears to be canceled only in the US. This bittersweet news comes courtesy of British retailer Devicewire, which reports that it'll have examples of the iPAQ 614 available to its customers as soon as next Monday for the princely sum of £389.99 (about $765). That's fine, though, HP, whatever. We didn't want your stupid iPAQ anyway.
[Via CoolSmartphone]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/hp-ipaq-610-series-soldiers-on-outside-us/#comments
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AT&T Palm users: the Centro is definitely on starting next week. We've gotten solid confirmation that next Tuesday (that'd be 
