It looks like a netbook. It performs like a netbook. But the exceptional battery life makes Samsung’s latest netbook really stand out.
Let’s just be nice and feign surprise, okay? Good. With that out of the way, Microsoft has announced a 64GB version of Zune HD, due out April 12th via the Zune online store (and later via other retailers) with a handful of color options and a strapping $349.99 price tag. Not to be outdone, the 16GB and 32GB will each receive a $20 cut on the MSRP, to $200 and $270, respectively — whatever Amazon and Newegg slash beyond that is up to them. It seems “as soon as possible” is the motto for when the price drop is taking place, so if your favorite online / brick-and-mortar retailer isn’t yet honoring the extra Andrew Jackson in your pocket, have patience. So now we’re left with a v4.5 firmware release date as the remaining piece in this puzzle, but Microsoft promises to solve that riddle wrapped in an enigma “in the coming days.” Right. Press release after the break.
Continue reading 64GB Zune HD launching April 12th for $350, current models reduced $20
64GB Zune HD launching April 12th for $350, current models reduced $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sony’s latest notebook fails to really stand out in performance or battery life terms.
Us freeloaders still have a bit of a wait left, it seems, but paying members of Apple’s iPhone Developer Program (which now services iPad devs, too) now have access to the Gold Master seed of the iPhone SDK for OS 3.2. This is a pretty big deal since it’s the very first version of the operating system to support the iPad, of course — and seeing how the first volley of iPads hits retail this weekend, it couldn’t come at a better time. Let us know if you find anything wild in this new build, and we’ll do the same, alright?
[Thanks, Kory H.]
iPhone SDK 3.2 goes gold, seeded to paying dev program members originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
You heard right, folks — according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently “developing a new iPhone to debut this summer,” and as if that weren’t enough, it’s also “working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless.” As of this moment, details about the break are nowhere to be found, but it’s not like either tidbit is shocking. This summer will mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS, and if the Cupertino-based company keeps with its historical refresh pattern, we’re just a few months out from seeing the latest and greatest iPhone. There’s also been no shortage of iPhone-to-Verizon rumors over the years, with the latest of ‘em happening during the run-up to the iPad’s launch.
Update: We’re now learning that the “next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry,” which just so happens to be the same outfit responsible for crafting all prior iPhones. That’s according to “people briefed on the matter” and sourced by the WSJ. It’s also stated that the world’s first CDMA iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology, which we caught just last week dabbling in some of NVIDIA’s Tegra 2-based wares. If all goes well, Pegatron could begin mass production of the CDMA iPhone (exact model not disclosed) this September, so it’s hard to say if Sprint or Verizon would have access before the all-too-lucrative holiday season. As for quotes on the matter? Most everyone involved wouldn’t say a word, but an AT&T spokesman did utter the following: “There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven’t seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur.“
On a week that couldn’t possibly get any bigger for Apple, that’s exactly what just happened. Everyone suspected that a fourth-generation iPhone was in the works, but having an outlet like the WSJ confirm it just makes the summer that much harder to wait for. There’s also the possibility that 2010 will be the final year that AT&T retains its death-grip on the iPhone, but by the sound of this report, it still seems as if the nation’s largest GSM carrier may nab exclusive rights on the latest iPhone. We also can’t help but wonder about the future of a true 4G iPhone — will Sprint manage to grab a WiMAX-enabled version? Will Verizon get its grubby paws on an LTE model? We figured only Jobs would know, but now… there might just be someone else out there willing to spill the beans.
Update 2: Soon after the news broke, we were informed that the next-generation iPhone would be announced on June 22nd (a Tuesday, naturally) and would be dubbed the iPhone HD (a name that has been tossed around before). That certainly makes sense given that Apple almost certainly has to up the pixel count in order to rival the EVO 4G, HD2 and all of those other high-res handsets, but we’re still reserving judgment until we see that fateful media invite hit our inbox.
Update 3: John Gruber’s just weighed in with some more tidbits, in his characteristically polite way. Gruber says the next model will have an A4-class SoC, a 960 x 640 display, a front-facing camera, and that iPhone OS 4.0 will enable third-party multitasking. A pretty safe set of predictions, in all, but Gruber’s done pretty well in the past, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
[Thanks, Chris]
WSJ: Apple ‘developing new iPhone,’ plus another for Verizon (update: iPhone HD, front-facing camera?) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
32GB microSD cards will soon be a reality – but it’ll cost you. SanDisk has just announced that it will begin shipping the 32GB version of its microSDHC flash memory cards in the U.S. next month, for the low-low price of $199 per unit.
The company is already accepting pre-orders for the card (model SDSDQY-032G-A11M). [...]
We’re nearly there. The mystical, magical iPad experience starts this Saturday, April 3, and if you haven’t already pre-ordered your only way to get one for the weekend is going to be to fight the rush at retail. Apple has confirmed that all 221 of its Apple Stores will have the wunder-tablets on sale, and has also confirmed the Best Buy rumors, indicating that “most” of the big-box retailer’s locations will have them. Stores are set to open at 9:00am, so we figure you can probably roll on over there at 8:45 or so and get a good spot in line.
Apple confirms Best Buy iPads at launch, what time you’ll need to be there originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
