Tag Archives: release

Games

Microsoft’s $299 Xbox Series S and $499 Xbox Series X Officially Announced, Release Date & Pre-Order Info Revealed

Microsoft announces today the official release of Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, with both devices set to arrive to market on November 10th, and pre-orders begin September 22, as retail prices starting at $299 and $499 respectively. 

Update: Xbox Series X pre-orders are live

US Xbox Series X:  ► Amazon | Microsoft | BestBuy
US Xbox Series S:  ► Amazon | Microsoft | BestBuy

Xbox Series S

The Xbox Series S which gets from Microsoft the formal description of a “next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever”  is said to be around 60% smaller than the Xbox Series X device, but with a similar CPU clocked at merely 3.6Hz and with a gaming performance of 1440p at up to 120 FPS and 4K upscaling. The console is set to be an all-digital edition which means without a disc drive included inside.

The fact that Xbox Series S delivers four times the processing power of an Xbox One console means you get a very capable device for a relatively small price.

Microsoft already teased the $299. Xbox Series S, in a tweet on Tuesday, claiming it would be the “smallest Xbox ever”.

Xbox Series X

As per Xbox Series X, which is described as the most powerful console ever made, it has been “designed to deliver a new level of fidelity, feel, performance and precision never seen before in console gaming”, boasting a more powerful GPU than what the smaller series offers along with a full hardware support for AMD’s latest RDNA 2 performance. 

The X series also enables you to “spend less time waiting and more time playing, as it virtually eliminates load times with the 40x boost in I/O throughput from last generation. With next-generation SSD and Xbox Velocity Architecture”

Both devices support Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision via streaming media apps like Disney+, Vudu and Netflix at launch. Plus: Dolby Vision support for gaming will come in 2021.

In addition to that you get access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate experience including:

  • Over 100 high-quality games to play on console, including next-gen Optimized games
  • Over 100 high-quality games to play on PC
  • An EA Play membership to play more than 60 of EA’s biggest and best console and PC games
  • And over 100 games to play from the cloud

Microsoft is offering a bundle of the Game Pass Ultimate with Xbox Series S at $24.99 a month for 24 months and with Xbox Series X starting from $34.99 a month for 24 months.

tablets

HP TouchPad To Launch July 1st Priced at $499.99 (Update: July 15 In The UK)

After a year of rumors and plenty of speculations, the HP Touchpad is now very much a reality. Some might even say it is a real contender to the iPad tablet. Well, in terms of price everything’s pretty much the same, as the 16GB version will run for $499.99 and the 32GB for $599.99. According to the company announcement on Thursday, the first webOS-powered tablet which boasts a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor along with a 9.7-inch touchscreen display, will become available Stateside on July 1st (pre-orders start at June 19th) with European/Australian launch dates just a few days after. In addition, HP has indicated that it is planning to offer a 3G model as well, in partnership with AT&T, later this summer. Full PR after the break.

Update1: And looks like the brand new TouchPad device from HP is about to officially start selling in the UK on July 15th, with prices ranged between £399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model, or £479 for the 32GB version, at Great Britain’s top retailers like Argos, Carphone Warehouse, PC World, Amazon, and much much more.

Update2: Looks like it didn’t take long for the prices to drop down, as HP officially confirms a $100 discount off its brand new TouchPad lineup, which brings us to a grand total of $399 for the 16GB version, and $499 if you’re buying the 32GB one.

[HP]

 

 

Continue reading HP TouchPad To Launch July 1st Priced at $499.99 (Update: July 15 In The UK) →

tablets

HTC Flyer Officially Live Across Europe

While already available for a purchase throughout the US, HTC’s 7-inch Android 2.4 tablet has finally been given its official release dates across Europe. According to HTC’s PR report, released recently, the 1.5GHz device is supposed to start selling today, with prices topping out at  £480 (€499) for the WiFi-only 16GB version or £600 (€649) for the 3G-enabled 32GB flavor. And If you happen to have big hands for your size or are determined to get an HTC Flyer just for the sake of painting, you’ll find a cool stylus pen within the bundle (also known as the Magic Pen) – given by the company, free of charge . Hit the break to read the full PR message.

 

Continue reading HTC Flyer Officially Live Across Europe →

tablets

iPad 2 To Be Released In Twelve More Countries

The iPad 2 is reported to be selling quite good throughout the States and beyond, but as time goes by and the popularity rise steadily, more and more countries are looking to be part of the overwhelming sales growth. As for that matter, Apple has additionally confirmed a WiFi iPad 2 release in Japan today, April 28, and in 11 more countries tomorrow, including Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE, then in China on May 6. And while local prices are yet to be determined, suggested retail pricing is on par with the US market, at $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model. As for the iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G connectivity, prices are matching US MSRPs and said to be at $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model. Full PR after the break.

 

Continue reading iPad 2 To Be Released In Twelve More Countries →

tablets

Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB A100 Goes Up For Pre-Order, Ships on April 20

We’ve already heard a few interesting anecdotes about Acer’s 7-inch Iconia Tab tablet device, back in January of 2011, but only now (three months later) has it decided to finally unleash the Honeycomb slate, namely Iconia A100, into the wild and overcrowded market. As far as hardware goes, there are 5MP and 2MP megapixel cameras on board, along with a Tegra 2 processor, 512MB of RAM, WiFi (3G optional), Bluetooth connectivity and 8GB of internal storage capacity which are fairly reasonable but not enough for huge video files to load. In terms of price, the A100 may be considerably cheaper when compared to other devices in the category – only £299.99 (about $485) as it appears on Amazon.co.uk, with April 20th release date in the UK itself and later on all over the world. Good job, Acer.

Update1: And looks like the 7-inch ICONIA A100 tablet is now available for pre-order on Amazon UK with 3G WWAN capabilities attached and Android 3.0 running on board. Prices are at the £400 ($660)  range while shipping is due to May 14.

Update2: We’ve just added a quick hands-on video of Acer’s forthcoming Iconia TAB A100, courtesy of Steve Chippy. Check it out after the break.

 

 

[via Netbook News]

Continue reading Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB A100 Goes Up For Pre-Order, Ships on April 20 →

tablets

Motorola Xoom $599 WiFi Only Version Goes Up For Pre-Order on B&H

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If you’re thinking of looking more into this Motorola Xoom Android Honeycomb tablet, but paying $800 isn’t exactly your kind of thing, then you’ve just come to the right place because New York-based retailer B&H has just listed the much anticipated wifi-only Motorola XOOM version online, and it allows people pre-order theirs today for only $599. And while shipping dates are yet to be determined, the number of units offered for sale is said to be very limited. We’re guessing that a “1st week of April” time frame was just made for the fools, eh?

Update1: It looks like B&H isn’t the only one to sell the Motorola Xoom sans 3G connectivity for the bargain price of $599. As a matter of fact a few other giant retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club, Staples, and even Walmart are said to be offering the Honeycomb tablet, starting March 27th of this year, and not a single day before. Full PR after the break.

Update2: And the WiFi-only Motorola Xoom is finally up for preorder from both Best Buy and Future Shop in Canada, and set to ship on April 8th, with the same US price tag ($599.99).

Update3: Word on the street is that the 10.1-inch WiFi-only Xoom tablet should be getting Google’s latest and greatest Android 3.1 update “within the next several weeks.” In that regard, we’re guessing that the upcoming upgrade will not skip the 3G-enabled devices, which are more expensive, to say the least. More details at the official Motorola support forum.

[B&H]

Continue reading Motorola Xoom $599 WiFi Only Version Goes Up For Pre-Order on B&H →

tablets

Sharp’s Galapagos Media Tablets Officially Introduced

At this point it’s really hard to tell which is more accurate to describe Sharp’s new Galapagos lineup:  an e-reader, a tablet or maybe just an oversized phone (without a 3G connection, of course). One way or another, it’s going to cost us way too much – and to be even more specific, ¥39,800 ($475) and ¥54,800 ($655), for each of the two following versions that the Japanese corp is offering us – a 5.5-inch 1024 x 600 slate and a 10.8-inch 1366 x 800 tablet. And while we cannot be sure exactly what to expect or when we might actually see them out, this year or in the next one, there’s something inside us that tells us the story, which in Sharp’s case is, that we probably won’t see them live on our side of the pond.

Update1: Save the date: Friday, December 10 is when the Galapagos series will be officially released for trendy and most fashionable Japs.

Update2: According to a Mainichi Daily News report, Sharp is planning a big and techy refresh for its upcoming US Galapagos lineup. And when we say “refresh” we mean that the company is said to to include a few things that you probably won’t be able to find inside the Japanese models, such as 3G connectivity, global EPUB content format, and even a proprietary e-book store. Official release date is scheduled for early 2011, but chances are that we’ll find out about it next week at the CES show.

[Sharp]

News, tablets

Toshiba’s 10-Inch Folio 100 Tablet Now Available Around Europe

Japanese electronic giant Toshiba has purportedly started rolling out its latest and greatest Folio 100 tablet across Europe, according to official PR announcement, delivered after the break. Toshiba had promised it would roll out the Android Froyo slate in the continent before the end of the year, and seems to be sticking to its promise. The 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen device which will retail for €399 for WiFi only version or up to €529 for the 3G-enabled one (available Q1 2011), comes fully equipped with NVIDIA’s new ARM SOC chipset, along with 16GB of internal storage, mini-HDMI output, USB hub, SD card reader, 1.3 megapixel webcam and Bluetooth version 2.1. Battery wise, you’re looking at a seven hours package and we certainly hope to see this bad boy going live in the US somewhere around holidays time.

Update: Looks like Toshiba has just issued a new firmware update (v2.2.5.0053) in order to improve screen tap respond issues, audio / video processing and pinch-to-zoom capabilities. For more coverage hit the following link.

Continue reading Toshiba’s 10-Inch Folio 100 Tablet Now Available Around Europe →

tablets

Viewsonic Rolls Out New 7 and 10 Inch Viewpad Tablets Stateside

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Viewsonic has made a bold move to dethrone Apple’s iPad in the US market. The Taiwanese company announced late yesterday it would launch two new Viewpad tablets – that will maintain the Viewsonic logo – sometime between November of this year and the first quarter of 2011. And while first model in that new series, the Viewsonic 7, is claimed to run the Android 2.2 platform, preloaded with Google apps and full access to Google’s Market, the second, Viewsonic 10, will boast Microsoft’s Windows 7 Home Premium OS along with a 1.66GHz Atom processor, 16GB SSD, and 1GB of RAM on board. The latter has a 10-inch capacitive display and is expected to retail for $629 while the smaller one, which runs for $479, will likely house a 7-inch touchscreen, paired with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM, dual cameras (rear and front), and 3G connectivity support. It’s going to be a long, hot winter for the tablet computer market. At the meantime, make sure you checkout the Full PR right after the break.

Update1: Oh look, isn’t it the new ViewPad 7 tablet? YES. And looks like it’s already up on sale at Amazon.com, priced a little more than we’ve expected – $599(!). Is that for real or another one of those ‘let the early adopters pay the price and then we’ll make it cheaper?’

Update2: We’re not so sure whether you’ll like it or not but here’s the deal: ViewSonic is now offering you a trade program – send in your old laptop or netbook and get up to £125 cash back when buying a new ViewPad tablet. What do you say?

Update3: Fellow US gadgeters, check this out: Office Depot’s retail stores are now offering Viewsonic’s 10-inch (1024 x 600) Android 2.2 G Tablet for $399 only. Remember, it’s a Tegra 2 device that can easily pump out 1080p videos on your tele. So make sure you check out the full PR after the break or the local store next to your house.

 

Continue reading Viewsonic Rolls Out New 7 and 10 Inch Viewpad Tablets Stateside →

Computers, News

Apple says iPad 3G Will Go Live On May 7 (Update: Rescheduled To April 30th)

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Apple has just updated its online store with new details about current iPad 3G shipping dates, which are now scheduled for May 7 and in some cases even earlier (if you happen to live in the US and lucky enough to pre-order one). That said, we still don’t have any official indication for an international iPad debut in the horizon, although it’s been said few times before it’s likely to be held somewhere around the end of May.

Update: Looks like yesterday’s update was a mistake, and iPad’s 3G version is now said to arrive to US stores on Friday, April 30th – a week earlier than expected.