Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we've spotted a leaked Android 4.0.4 ROM for the Nexus S 4G, and we've also come across a price and release date for the Droid 4. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 30th, 2012.Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oh Amazon, why must you tease us so? Not content on leaking the Fujifilm X-Pro1's lenses before the mirrorless ILC was even announced at CES, the retailer just confirmed the camera's price. It appears you'll have to plunk down a hefty $1700 to get your dirty little mitts on this high-end rangefinder-ish 16 megapixel APS-C shooter -- and that's just for the body. As a reminder, you'll also be able to purchase the 18mm (27mm equivalent) f/2.0 and 35mm (53mm equivalent) f/1.4 lenses for $500 each, and the larger 60mm (91mm equivalent) f/2.4 macro lens for $600. This camera may not be quite a sexy looking as its fixed-lens cousin the X100, but it sure looks more than up to the task of taking beautiful pictures. Guess we'll have to wait until late February to find out for sure.
We were told at CES last month to expect Vizio's ultrawidescreen LCDs would hit the market sooner rather than later, now we know how it will fit into our budgets, even if we're not sure how the aspect ratio will fit in our living rooms. Similar to the way its first Theater 3D TVs popped up last year, the XVT 3D CinemaWide product page reveals a 58-inch model (50- and 71-inchers are also planned) sporting its trademark 21:9 aspect ratio (compared to a traditional HDTV's 16:9) and 2560x1080 resolution will start at $3,499. It also has an array of specs, measuring the 120Hz Edge LED lit screen at 56.7-inches wide by 29-inches high and 1.8-inches deep. Just as we saw when they were first announced at CES 2011, Vizio upscales Blu-ray and other wider-than-widescreen sources to fill the screen without those black bars we've become accustomed to. If you're watching standard HD programming, the extra space alongside can accommodate tiles for Yahoo! Widgets pulling information from the internet without blocking the picture at all. Check our gallery below for a better look and a demo video after the break, we'll keep an ear to the ground to find out when and where these displays might hit the market first.
Digital copies of games that you download bypass the time-and-money-consuming manufacturing, logistics and retail processes. It's only natural that we as consumers expect some of that saving to be passed along to our own wallets. There's a fair chunk of evidence to suggest that downloading PS Vita games over PSN will result in a ten percent saving on the boxed edition (that you'd have to drive to a store for, and everything). Of course, it would be unseemly to point out that those few dollars will spell the death-knell for thousands of jobs, so we won't.
Nintendo released its latest quarterly earnings report this morning and, as with last quarter's report, there's not a whole lot to celebrate. The company posted profits of
Paramount became the first studio to offer digital versions of UltraViolet-based movies this week, with the launch of Paramount Movies. With this new service, users can purchase a film in either digital or physical form, and automatically store a copy of it within Paramount's cloud-based digital locker. This effectively allows you to stream a film to any iOS device, though support for Android and Windows Phone remains unavailable (as does compatibility with most set-top boxes). It's all part of DECE's "buy once, play anywhere" ethos, though it should be noted that the studio's UV offerings are somewhat limited. At the moment, Paramount Movies boasts about 60 titles, all of which are available at comparatively steep prices: $20 for HD quality movies, and $13 for SD versions. Check it out for yourself at the source link below.
Hitachi's line of domestically produced Wooo TVs is coming to an end, now that the manufacturer has confirmed plans to close a major plant in central Japan. In an announcement issued today, Hitachi said it will shutter its factory in Gifu, where some 100,000 LCD and plasma TVs are produced each month. Citing industry-wide price competition as the deciding factor, the company went on to clarify that the facility will shut down by September of this year, and that it will instead be used to manufacture projectors and chips. Hitachi will, however, continue to offer non-Wooo TVs manufactured by non-Japanese contractors. Japan's Asahi Shimbun, meanwhile, is reporting that Mitsubishi has decided to terminate domestic production of DVDs and Blu-Rays, due to declining sales of each. From now on, optical disc manufacturing will instead be outsourced to partner companies in India and Taiwan. For more details, check out the post-break press release.
The Internet is gradually seeping its way into homes across India, but there are many within the country who remain too poor to actually purchase a PC. Fortunately, HP India has just developed new technology known as the Vayu Internet Device, or VInD, that could dramatically lessen this gap. According to the Times of India, the company's new set top box will essentially allow users to access web content via traditional TVs, using standard remotes, rather than keyboards or mice. All they'd have to do is plug it in, subscribe to an internet service, and turn on their in-home televisions. The idea, of course, is to deepen web penetration across lower-income populations, as well as among the elderly, who may have difficulties manipulating more complex computer equipment. No word yet on when the VInD could hit the market, but the Times of India has a more comprehensive rundown, at the source link below.
We know what you're thinking: Coda's all-electric sedan is getting another price cut? No plebes, instead of slashing the price, it's opting instead to release a lower-ranged variant of the $39,900 car for $2,650 less. Those savings net a smaller 31kWh battery which'll go 125 miles on a charge -- 5kWh and 25 miles less than its more expensive brother. That equates to a real-world starting price of under thirty grand after federal rebates take effect. Last we checked, we can't think of anyone wanting less range, but maybe with its lower starting price it'll generate enough buzz to hit those lofty sales goals.
This slider was still lacking its most important spec when we went hands-on, but a carrier document outed over at Droid-life fills in the blank: it lists a "minimum advertised price" of $249 on 24-month bond to VZW. Of course, we're still waiting on the second most important spec -- the release date, which hopefully won't be as futuristic as the handset's appearance.
