Sony’s ModNation Racers on PS Vita already on sale at Walmart
You won’t be able to do anything with it for nearly three weeks, but if you feel so inclined you might be able to go down to your local Walmart and pick up a PlayStation Vita game. There are reports of the launch title ModNation Racers: Road Trip already being stocked on the shelves of the discount retailer. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t count on being able to find an actual Vita until it goes on sale on February 22.
This isn’t necessarily retailer error, though with Walmart we wouldn’t automatically give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s possible Sony didn’t put an embargo on the game because giving out early units isn’t that big of a threat (you still need the Vita before you can play it). Or perhaps it’s a way to grab some early sales from customers who would otherwise have had no interest in ModNation Racers but jump are too anxious for their Vita to turn away an early copy.
A third possibility is that the early copies are only available to Walmart. Game publishers have been known to give special bonuses or perks to the world’s biggest retailer because it is such an important part of any game company’s bottom line. In any event, it doesn’t really matter *why* it’s there, just that it is there. So if you absolutely positively need to hold something Vita-related in your hand before February 22, head down to Wally World.
[via Kotaku]
Sony’s ModNation Racers on PS Vita already on sale at Walmart is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The Pirate Bay makes good on 3D pirated content
The Pirate Bay is literally taking digital piracy to the next dimension, and the process has already begun. The online downloading company told users last month that in addition to the requisite slate of movies, music, and TV show content it offered through means of copyright infringement, it wanted to add files that could be used for 3D printers. So in essence, users are now able to swap physical products in addition to digital products, without recognizing the original owner of the content.
The first item available through The Pirate Bay’s 3D printable content section, known as “Physibles,” is the iconic pirate ship that serves as Pirate Bay’s logo. There have already been several downloads of the file, and users have actually uploaded it to 3D printing websites to get their own piece of pirating history. Of course, while the file of the pirate ship is free, users still need to pay for the cost of 3D printing.
For the most part, 3D printers are still not marketed for home use and costs thousands of dollars. Instead, the market is such that users can send a file to a company that offers to turn that digital file into a physical product. These companies generally charge around $100+ for simple requests, most of which is for the cost of the material. So it’s still kind of expensive in the world of piracy, where everything is supposed to be free, but this will change as 3D printing grows and becomes more accessible, and The Pirate Bay will have hit the ground running.
[via TorrentFreak]
The Pirate Bay makes good on 3D pirated content is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Drugs are addictive? Try social networks
A recent Chicago University study is proving that people are more likely to resist their desire to consume alcohol, coffee and tobacco, than to resist their desire to check social media.
Not only that, but according to the study, people are more likely to give in to social media urges than to sexual and sleeping urges, as well as spending and sports. Basically, the only one that was harder to resist was the urge to work.
The results to this study have a good explanation, though. Social networks/media are not expensive, are very accessible and available, and do not harm your health (most of the time). As Wilhelm Hofmann (study leader) mentions, there is no direct downside to social media use. Smokers and drinkers has reasons to want to stop – both health-wise and financial. But most of the time, there is no direct downside to checking Twitter, Facebook or your e-mail. And it only takes a minute.
I have to say, though, the fact that some of the other urges can be more controlled than social networks is surprising. Urges like sleeping and sex are part of our biology. Not only a habit, but inscribed into our very core and DNA. The study states that while these urges were much stronger, people were much more able to control them.
If you want to learn more about the study, you should wait for the full research paper to be published soon. It will be featured in Psychological Science.
Let us know what you think. Are you ready for Social Networkers Anonymous?
[Source: The Guardian Via: The Verge]
Video: The future in the eyes of Corning (Part 2)
Corning has gained immense popularity among Android users. Their fortified glass keeps many of our devices’ screen scratch-less. Surely, you have seen those beat up devices with perfect screens. Well, Corning is not stopping there. In fact, they see great things for the future of glass use in technology.
It is always fun to see how companies envision the future of technology. You may recall the video “A Day Made of Glass,” which was released last year. This video is its continuation, and is named “A Day Made of Glass 2: Same Day.”
The video displays how technology will improve our lives. From entertainment to the classroom or office, companies envision us doing things that we currently only see in sci-fi movies. But we guess the day is not too far, right? We did see the Samsung Smart Window at CES, which was quite unbelievable, as well.
We will go ahead and post both videos below. So check the first one, as well, if you haven’t yet. Enjoy!
[Via Engadget]
A few fun facts from Staples’ new tablet infographic
Staples has just released a brand new infographic on tablets, filling our weekend with a bit of fun facts. Many of us have tablets, and many of us love our tablets, but how do we interact with our tablets on a daily basis?
According to Staples, the average tablet user uses these devices for about 90 minutes a day, and that most users own 10″ devices. And whether you are in the road (88.3%) or sitting in the throne (35%), tablets seem to be improving our experience greatly.
80% of tablet users mentioned that tablets have improved their work life. Also, it seems like many of us are switching to electronic books, since about 25% of the surveyed users are reading less printed material, as compared to before. And that makes sense, purchasing a tablet might be more convenient than purchasing an e-book reader. Tablets have much more functionality, so you hit two birds with one stone.
It is also mentioned that there will be about 82.1 million tablet users by 2015, which makes for a rather impressive number. As we know, tablets are currently taking over, even threatening the PC market (depending on your personal needs). And with the average user purchasing about $34 in apps (per year?), the Android market should be getting that much better.
Check out the infographic and let us know how you relate to these statistics. Are most of these statements true, in your experience?
[Source: Staples Via:Droid-Life]
Fujitsu announces ‘Sylistic’ Android tablet for all the businessmen out there
Now, that has to be about the weirdest name we have seen for a tablet. Fujitsu has just announced their new addition to the tablet market, named the Sylistic M350/CA2. This one is aimed at all the users in a suit, with an enterprise-focused approach.
Among the uses for this tablet, Fujitsu is boasting its ability to be used as a mobile sales terminal, as a digital catalog handset and as an e-reader. Aside from being able to use the on-screen keyboard, users will also be able to use handwriting as an input.
The details are a bit of a lackluster. We will have to wait until we see more to know if Fujitsu has anything up its sleeve to differentiate this tablet from the competition. As for the specs, we do not know much, either. Except for the fact that it has a 7″ WSVGA “high-resolution” display (1024x600p), which is not bad for its size.
The device also weighs 420 grams, and the expected battery life is 6.1 hours, which is not that exciting, either. Fujitsu is not specifying any more details, so we will have to wait to learn more about the specs and features.
The Fujitsu Stylistic will be available in mid-February for the Japanese market, so let’s see when/if it hits the rest of the world.
Fujitsu Releases Android Tablet for Enterprise Market
The STYLISTIC M350/CA2 features a compact form factor(1), equipped with a 7-inch display and a body weighing approximately 420g for easy mobility. The tablet achieves both superior portability and usability, with features such as rapid booting and the ability to select between different character input modes-a numeric keypad, QWERTY, and hand-writing-to gives users the choice that best meets their individual needs. Moreover, the new tablet can be employed in a wide range of scenarios, including as a mobile sales terminal, as a handset for displaying digital catalogs at a retail store, and as an e-book reader in a classroom setting. In addition to offering excellent cost-performance, the STYLISTIC M350/CA2 supports customers in transforming work styles within their companies.
Product Features
1. Compact body for superior mobilityWith its high-resolution 7-inch WSVGA (1024 x 600 pixel) display, the compact and lightweight body of approximately 420g makes it easy to hold and operate with just one hand. This and its lengthy running time of approximately 6.1 hours make it ideal for applications that require mobility.
2. Enhanced usability through Android OS and Fujitsu’s unique character input tools“NX! input powered by ATOK” QWERTY input
The tablet runs on Android OS, which enables rapid booting and smooth, intuitive usability through multi-touch operations. Furthermore, it offers Fujitsu’s unique “NX! Input powered by ATOK” character input technology, which boasts especially high speed and high accuracy in recognizing kanji characters. This means users can select between numeric keypad input, QWERTY input, and hand-written input to choose the character input mode that best meets their individual needs.
[Via Engadget]
MotoACTV update makes it a bit better, but is it worth your bucks?
The smartwatch market is a bit tricky. Despite the fact that it has great potential, manufacturers have not quite hit the target with such devices. Motorola is one of the most notable players in the smartwatch market, with its MOTOACTV. And Motorola has just updated this bad boy, making it a bit more efficient.
After connecting the MOTOACTV, users will be prompted to an update. New features include longer battery life, a battery status bar, the ability to lock the screen, enhanced auto-pause and auto-run and the ability to repeat a planned workout (even if previously started).
It seems like Motorola will have to do much more to make this product more desirable, though. Even though it is one of the most popular smart watches out there, it lacks much functionality. Developers have even resorted to hacking it and installing a Honeycomb launcher on it.
Granted, Honeycomb does not work or look great on a 1.6-inch screen. But this just displays how badly users want a better experience with it. With competitors like the Sony Smart Watch and the WIMM One, among others, it is time Motorola gets to work. Especially if they plan to keep their price, which is not necessarily the most affordable, starting at $250 (Price has recently gone down to about $206 on Amazon).
Check out the press release for more details and let us know what you think. Are you a MOTOACTV user? Let us know how the update is treating you! Also, what do you guys think would make this device more enticing?
[Via Droid-Life]
Switching between Android 4.0 ICS and iPhone 4S
When you switch from an Android phone over to the iPhone or vice versa, there are a few adjustments you’ll have to make. The difference between the two, no matter which versions of the software you’re dealing with, are much smaller than the difference between either and any other software. Windows Phone, Symbian, any number of lesser cell phones are much more difficult to switch to or from when the alternative is switching to Android or iPhone from the other. This article is but one of several in a series written by your humble narrator called “I’m switching to iPhone 4S for a week,” this series having the alternate title “iPhone 4S Up Close and Personal.”
The software on the two devices we’re looking at here is the most updated version from either software group, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich from Google, and iOS 5 from Apple. The devices we’re looking at are the iPhone 4S from Apple and the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung. The iPhone 4S is the same as each iPhone before it in that Apple uses it as a hero device for its software, while the Galaxy Nexus is a special case for Google because they do not currently produce their own hardware, this one produced with Samsung to be the hero for Google’s software. In this way these two devices are the best examples for Apple and Google’s Android for this feature story.
Applications
Both Android and iOS are built with a basic user interface which includes a grid of icons, each icon connected to an app. All Android devices you’re going to purchase from a carrier here in the United States and the iPhone are connected to app stores where apps can be purchased or download free. If you switch from Android to iOS or back the other way around, you will need to download a whole new set of applications. This is true of any switching between devices, but if you stick with one software, like switching from Android to Android, you wont have to re-purchase applications like you would when switching from iOS to Android and back again.
Android on the left, iOS on the right
Multi-tasking
The question of multi-tasking is one we’ve been writing about and hearing about for years, ever since the birth of this mobile environment in smartphones. The newest versions of Android and iOS both have a very basic but fairly effective means of switching back and forth between apps. For the iPhone you’ll be double-tapping on your home button and a row of applications will appear at the bottom of your display – each of these are able to be opened or, if you hold down on one of them, closed entirely. A similar situation happens with Android 4.0 when you tap the “Recent Apps” icon, this being the double rectangle on the far right – the applications pop up here with a preview and an icon, each able to be opened, closed entirely, or have its App Info accessed.
Pull-down Menu
Both Android and iOS now have a pull-down menu that can be accessed by sliding your finger down from the top of the display. Both have status updates from applications and are organized a bit differently from on another, and Apple’s version has a couple of widget-like selections at the moment not unlike what Android has on its several home-screens. Both menus’s individual updates can be tapped to access and can also be closed with a simple action: an x-out or a push to the left.
Home Screens
Android has two layers to its containment of applications, while Apple’s iOS has one. Android has a set of home-screens where you can add apps as well as a wide variety of widgets, widgets being anything from a simple picture frame to a stock-ticker like you’re seeing in the pull-down menu on iOS. Android also has an App Drawer where applications are placed in a basic grid and can be pulled up and out to Android’s home screens. Apple’s iOS has home screens which are essentially the same as Android’s App Drawer. Both operating systems have the ability to pack several apps in one app’s grid spot in a “drawer” for a simplified way of organizing, both having this feature on home screens.
Taking Photos and Video
The photo-taking experience on Android and iOS is basically the same. You’ve got a viewfinder that’s nearly the whole display large, you’ve got one button that takes the photo or the video, and there’s are at least a few options on both interfaces. The camera on iOS 5 has options for your flash or lamp (for video), tap to focus, and have a single button to flip between front and back cameras.
Android on top, iOS on bottom
Android has the same set of options but also has a selection of special effects here on the Galaxy Nexus, including a panoramic mode for long photos. As far as the devices we’re looking at here, the iPhone 4S has the better ability to take fabulous photos as its 8 megapixels strong over the Galaxy Nexus’ 5 megapixels. Both devices claim to have the fastest shutter speed in the west, but the iPhone 4S has a much better shot-to-keeper ratio from what you humble narrator has experienced.
Sharing Photos and Video
The iPhone is limited in its capability to share a photo or a video directly from the gallery – if you open a photo and want to share it, you can email it, tweet it, text message it, assign it to a contact, make it your wallpaper, or print it. With Android, you can do all of these things plus more – Android connects your gallery to any and all applications that are able to share images. For iOS you’ve got to go into each of those applications outside the gallery to share. This simple difference will drive you nuts when switching from Android to iOS if you’re a big sharing sort of person.
Settings
Bot operating systems have a basic Settings menu, both of them able to work with items like Wifi, screen brightness, and settings for your main account – or multiple accounts with Android. With the Android version here specifically on the Nexus device you’ve got a set of developer options you wont get with any other Android device. Both operating systems have access to individual app settings, but only iOS has the ability to access GPS settings for each individual app. When switching back and forth between operating systems, you’ll definitely have to do a bit of searching before you find each of the bits you’re used to working with, but it’s all there for the most part between the two.
Ecosystems
There are massive followings surrounding both the iPhone and Android devices, with the Android Community being both a developer and a hacker group and Apple’s being just one gigantic set of people of all types. When you need support for an iPhone, you’re going to want to head to an Apple store. When you want support for an Android device, you’ll be encouraged to go to your carrier. Both choices have a big online support community comprised of users from around the world that want to help out their fellow compatriots with problems big and small.
Wrap-Up
A few years ago I’d have said that the iPhone had a much more massive and impressive developer base for applications than Android, and you know I’d have been right. At this time both groups have an ever-expanding world-sized set of developers working for them. You absolutely cannot judge one device over the other based on this simple factor, nor should you choose one over the other trying to compare them based on one specification. The whole package is what you’re going to want to see here.
I’m going to continue using the iPhone 4S as one of two daily devices. I’m in a unique place here as a tech writer and reviewer of devices where I don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars down a month to have service and new devices, and as it’s my job to stay updated on the trends of the day, I’ll also need to keep an Android on hand. I’ll continue to watch and review the other operating systems as well, but at the moment it’s not quite as important for me to carry one along at all times. The app, case, skin, and service reviews and hands-on for the iPhone 4S will continue into the future right here on SlashGear courtesy of yours truly.
Story Timeline
- I'm switching to iPhone 4S for a week on Jan 29th 2012
- A week with iPhone 4S: my first 10 apps on Jan 30th 2012
- iPhone 4S Up Close and Personal: Hardware on Jan 31st 2012
Switching between Android 4.0 ICS and iPhone 4S is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Sony PlayStation Vita demo units pop up at GameStop
More than 3,300 US GameStop locations are now equipped with PlayStation Vitas. Not to buy, unfortunately, but to give anxious gamers a hands-on look at what the next generation of portable Sony gaming will offer. The demo stations contain playable builds of eight of the most anticipated Vita titles, some of which are launch games but others do not have an official release date yet.
The full list of playable games is: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, Little Deviants, EA Sports FIFA Soccer, ModNation Racers: Road Trip, Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition, Escape Plan, and Wipeout 2048. The Vita launch is exciting since it is the first new generation of Sony gaming hardware in nearly six years. Analysts are also eager to see how it fares against the Nintendo 3DS, which had a surprisingly poor reception in the US in its 2011 launch.
And it wouldn’t be GameStop if there wasn’t some sort of related offer that encourages budget-conscious gamers to get rid of their old treasured game equipment. The retailer is offering an extra $25 trade-in credit on a Nintendo DS, 3DS, or PSP for customers who use that credit toward the purchase of a PlayStation Vita. The Vita is due out in just a couple weeks, on February 22. It’s available for $250, or $300 for those who want an AT&T 3G-equipped unit.
[via Engadget]
Sony PlayStation Vita demo units pop up at GameStop is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Monster Gratitude earbuds are endorsed by Earth, Wind & Fire
The Beats by Dr. Dre line of headphones are durable, well-built headphones that stand up to their hype. But they also prove that tying in a celebrity endorsement to an audio product can create tremendous brand value, so Monster has decided to team up with a more old-school music sensation to promote its new product, the Gratitude in-ear headphones.
The Gratitude has a distinct gold aesthetic and comes with 12 different eartips of varying size and type. The headphone also has a ControlTalk in-line microphone and seamless volume controls. When you’re done tuning out the outside world, the headphones can be tucked away in one of the included carrying pouches. And should you ever have any issues, they come with a one-year warranty.
Okay, so now to answer the next question – the one you’ve been asking since you saw the word “Monster” – how expensive is the Gratitude? To grab a pair you’ll need to shell out $229.95. Yeah, Monster products are always at the high of the high end and they usually are not worth the premium you have to pay. But when it comes to headphones, quality and durability is really important. So perhaps it isn’t too ridiculous. Then again, the $12 pair of headphones at the corner grocery store are probably just fine for many consumers.
[via Cnet]
Monster Gratitude earbuds are endorsed by Earth, Wind & Fire is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.