Filed under: Gaming
After hitting
delays already, we can’t say that this was the
PlayStation Home press release we’ve been expecting. Nevertheless, Sony just announced that it is expanding the
closed PlayStation Home beta to more users in “Fall 2008.” Kazuo Hirai, prez and ringmaster of Sony Computer Entertainment, said, “We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service.” Come on Mr Hirai, you can say it,
PlayStation Home is delayed. See, that’s wasn’t so hard.
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
After years of whispers which ultimately turned to shouts of corruption, Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung and son of Samsung’s founder, has resigned following an indictment on tax evasion charges. Lee said, “We, including myself, have caused troubles to the nation with the special probe. I deeply apologize for that, and I’ll take full responsibility for everything, both legally and morally.” Lee Jae-yong, the Chairman’s son and heir to the Samsung throne also resigned as did Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, Lee’s closest advisor. Lee Soo-bin, chairman of Samsung Life Insurance, takes on representation for Samsung Group although the group chairman position remains unfilled. So it’s over. Now lick your wounds Sammy and get back to your hyperbolic announcements of world’s first, fastest, biggest, etc… we miss you.
[Thanks, Dave L.]
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
After years of whispers which ultimately turned to shouts of corruption, Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung and son of Samsung’s founder, has resigned following an indictment on tax evasion charges. Lee said, “We, including myself, have caused troubles to the nation with the special probe. I deeply apologize for that, and I’ll take full responsibility for everything, both legally and morally.” Lee Jae-yong, the Chairman’s son and heir to the Samsung throne also resigned as did Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, Lee’s closest advisor. Lee Soo-bin, chairman of Samsung Life Insurance, takes on representation for Samsung Group although the group chairman position remains unfilled. So it’s over. Now lick your wounds Sammy and get back to your hyperbolic announcements of world’s first, fastest, biggest, etc… we miss you.
[Thanks, Dave L.]
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Filed under: Gaming
We kid, we kid. MGS4 and GT5 are going to rock and you know it. Still, that doesn’t excuse the existence of Messiah Entertainment’s “Hardwear Console Armor,” which apparently enables your PS3 to deflect bullets in addition to playing games and Blu-ray movies. Don’t forget to add the controller armor, which’ll actually probably impart some much-needed weight to the SIXAXIS and also let you break the crap out of your TV when you toss the thing in frustration. Seriously, take the $30 these things’ll cost you and put it towards a DualShock 3, alright? You’ll be much happier, your console will look less ridiculous, and no one will make fun of you. Okay, so two out three ain’t bad.
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Filed under: Laptops
Lenovo’s the latest laptop vendor to go to an mostly-widescreen lineup today, as it retires the 4:3 14.1-inch ThinkPad T61. All that’s left in the standard ratio are the 12.1-inch X-series laptops, and even those are something of a novelty in today’s 13.3-inch dominated market. It’s not a formal move and there’s no announcement, but it’s clearly a growing trend — Apple, Sony, and HP don’t offer any 4:3 laptops either — and it got us wondering what people prefer. Just amongst Engadget editors there’s no clear agreement: some of us prize vertical real estate, while others say tiling windows horizontally provides maximum multitasking power, and one ed rocks both 16:9 and 4:3 displays side-by-side — but that’s probably crazy. What’s your aspect ratio of choice? Hit us up in comments!
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Filed under: Desktops
It’s been a pretty hectic few days for wannabe Mac cloner Psystar — its former credit card processor shut off its account when it learned what it was trying to sell, no one could figure out the company’s true address, and company president Rudy Pedraza still has the disconcerting habit of not answering any questions and promising to call everyone back with a formal statement that’s never arrived. Still, the company posted up a blurb today saying it’s gotten a new credit card processor and that Open Computers are now being shipped in the order purchases were made. Of course, Rudy’s been promising us a test machine since day one, so we’re curious to see if he follows through — has anyone gotten a tracking number? Anyone have their credit cards charged? Let us know.
Read - Psystar: “Store up and running”
Read - News.com article about Psystar’s former credit card processor
Read - ZDNet article on Psystar’s address
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Well, this one kind of caught me off guard, apparently Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in a conference call said that since Blu-ray discs are more expensive to purchase versus standard definition DVD’s, the company will start charging more for accounts that rent Blu-ray discs.
Netflix did at one time offer both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs […]
Filed under: Cellphones
Word on the street (or via super-secret emails) is that Palm is about to begin beta testing on a fancy new device. Apparently, an email went out to select individuals calling for Sprint customers who will use Bluetooth devices and have access to WiFi. The email further requests that potential testers be “seasoned business professionals” who “commute and spend a ton of time working on email and on the phone.” From the sounds of things, the company is gearing up to road test its heavily rumored, WiFi-equipped Treo 800w, a Windows Mobile device likely sporting 6.1. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, it’s that mildly dated looking device from Gates’ CES keynote that we’ve also seen in leaks recently. Nice going on the new spec and inclusion of WiFi (at long last) — now how about some new form factors?
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Filed under: Portable Audio
We’ve seen some far-out portable speakers, but Targus is keeping it simple with the upcoming Portable Speaker Book. The folding speakers feature NXT flat-panel Balanced Radiator drivers, and can be powered by either four AAs or USB power. We’ve no word on pricing, but we wouldn’t expect to break the bank when these hit the UK sometime this summer.
[Via Randomly Accessed]
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Filed under: Desktops
Not too many people go to science museums and place orders, but former Microsoft CTO Nathan Mhyrvold was apparently so impressed with the London Science Museum’s replica of Charles Babbage’s difference engine he commissioned a $1M duplicate, which was just recently delivered to California’s Computer History Museum for a six-month stay. The nine-foot-tall machine has nearly 8,000 parts, many of which were hand-filed, and suffered months of delays while under construction due to the tight tolerances required to make it work — but it’s here now, and it’s ready to start cranking out polynomials at the rate of one per six seconds. Bring it on, IBM. Check the read link for way more pics of the unboxing, which took hours and ended in applause.
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