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Amazon has launched its virtual currency in the United States, and has provided Kindle Fire owners with an initial credit on their accounts. The 500 Amazon Coins, valued at $5, can be used to buy apps from the Amazon Appstore as well as in-app items, along with an incentive to continue buying packs of the virtual currency instead of usual cash transactions.
Sony has been working on a device for using e-ink as digital paper in an educational setting. Aimed at universities as a replacement for pen and paper-based notetaking by students, the prototype is a 13.3-inch, 1200x1600-resolution, 16-level gray scale e-ink display-as-tablet with touchscreen capabilities, as well as stylus input for drawing and writing.
Google may be revealing an entire gaming framework to developers at Google I/O next week, based on newly-released data. The Google Play Services component for Android includes support for various game-related features in a new update, including synchronizing saved games and various multiplayer components seen in a previous leak.
Nokia has formally unveiled the Lumia 928, headed to Verizon as a network-exclusive. The smartphone, previously leaked through a billboard and an advertisement in Vanity Fair, has been revealed before its expected launch event in London on May 14th, with the phone manufacturer keen to continue promoting its 8.7-megapixel PureView camera with Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash with another test video.
Olympus has officially announced its Pen E-P5 Micro Four Thirds camera, one leaked earlier this month. Designed to look like the Pen F to mark its 50th anniversary, the Pen E-P5 boasts a string of thoroughly-modern components within its retro styling, including a 16-megapixel TruePic VI Live MOS sensor and a 1.04 million dot tilting LCD touchscreen on the rear.
Microsoft is looking to create a set-top box for media playback, according to one report. Continuing previous rumors, the software giant is working on a device that will allow users to sign onto Xbox Live and use its apps to view streaming video, effectively cloning the non-gaming aspects of the Xbox 360 game console into a relatively-cheap product.
A report claims that Amazon is creating a number of devices, including two smartphones and an audio-only device said to be designed for streaming. Though there are little in the way of details for the gadgets, one of the two phones is said to use a screen capable of showing 3D images without the need to wear special glasses.
Huawei will be putting its first Windows Phone 8 device on sale in the United States as a prepaid device in the near future. The Huawei Ascend W1, renamed the Huawei W1 for the US market, will be made available in Walmart stores and Walmart.com later this month, and retains the same specifications and feature set that Electronista saw at Mobile World Congress in February.
The makers of Ouya, the Android-based game console, has received extra funding from investors ahead of its launch. The additional outside investment has now allowed Ouya to set the date of the official public launch as June 25, allowing more time for it to manufacture consoles before shipping units to retailers.
Nokia has updated its Asha range of devices with an entry-level touchscreen smartphone at a media event earlier today. The Asha 501, leaked yesterday, houses a three-inch 320x240 touchscreen in a case not too dissimilar from the Asha 210 QWERTY smartphone shown last month, along with a new mobile operating system.
Google is planning to create stores to sell Google Glass to customers, according to a rumor. The search company is allegedly working on making the retail locations with the aim of helping the end users with setting up their devices before leaving the store, a similar process to what Google is doing with developers initially receiving their Explorer edition devices.
Nokia is continuing to tease its impending launch of the Lumia 928, by comparing its camera against that of the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III. A video on the Nokia website using footage from the three phones claims to show how the 8.7-megapixel PureView camera stands up to those found in competing handsets in low-light conditions.
Mother's Day is a special sort of day where we get to give back to the woman that gave us life. This special day is right around the corner -- but you knew that already, right? Of course, the reason you haven't gotten a gift yet is because you're looking for just the perfect one. Ah, but what's the thing to get for such a woman? Electronista took a look at the latest and greatest in consumer tech to figure out what you should get good ol' Mom in order to one-up all your siblings -- who went the flowers-and-chocolate route.
Huawei is preparing an extremely thin smartphone for release, according to recently-surfaced photographs. Three shots of a device alleged to be the Huawei P6-U06 have appeared, showing a minimalist front display without physical buttons, and a metal edging on the sides that bears a passing resemblance to that of the iPhone 5.
AT&T has added to its range of 4G LTE connectivity devices with a built-in display. The AT&T Beam from Sierra Wireless is a USB modem that connects to the carrier's 4G LTE network, and like the MiFi Liberate, it comes with its own LCD panel to provide important details, such as the strength of the signal and how much data is remaining in the monthly allowance.
Fitbit has started shipping its first wrist-based activity tracker. The Fitbit Flex follows the Jawbone Up and the Nike FuelBand in providing tracking of activities and sleep patterns from the wrist, and like other Fitbit trackers in the entire range, is able to sync over Bluetooth 4.0 through iOS and Android devices, as well as using the provided Bluetooth dongle with a PC.
BlackBerry could be preparing an alternative to its strong-selling Q10 to add to its BlackBerry OS 10-compatible range. Images and leaked specifications suggest that the phone maker is creating another QWERTY keyboard-based smartphone dubbed the R10, one that has appeared in both black and red-colored casings.
Asus managed to sell 3 million tablets in the first quarter, offsetting a drop in sales of notebooks and computer parts, according to the company's latest quarterly results. Overall, the company managed to earn $3.5 billion in revenues for the quarter, with its $202 million quarterly profit an improvement compared to both year-on-year and the previous quarter by 5.8-percent.
Barnes & Noble has dropped the price of its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets as part of a Mother's Day promotion. For the next week, the retailer will be selling the 7-inch Nook HD from $149 for the 8GB and $179 for the 16GB models, while the 9-inch Nook HD+ is priced at $179 for 16GB of storage and $209 for 32GB. The discounts, varying between $50 and $90 depending on model, will apply until May 12th.
Acer is preparing to release an eight-inch Windows 8 tablet in the near future, according to a leak. A page listing the Acer W3-810 tablet on Amazon appeared far earlier than planned, revealing images of the mobile device as well as its internal specifications, shortly after the company presented a number of new notebooks and a 7.9-inch Android tablet to the media.
Acer is taking on the Google Nexus 7 by shipping a budget-ranged Android tablet with a marginally bigger screen. Housing a larger-than-normal 7.9-inch IPS display running at a resolution of 1024x768, the Iconia A1 follows on the design aesthetic provided with the Iconia B1, shown earlier this year, measures just 0.44-inches thick and weighs in at 0.90 pounds.
Office supply chain Staples has started selling 3D printers through its online store, and a number of its retail locations by the end of June. The store is stocking the Cube 3D printer from 3D Systems, a personal desktop 3D printer capable of creating an object measuring 5.5-inches in height, width, and depth from ABS and compostable PLA plastic.
Toshiba is preparing to release a new tablet running on Tegra 4, according to leaked details and photographs. Images reported to be for the Toshiba AT10LE-A have surfaced, showing that Nvidia's latest mobile processor clocked at 1.8GHz will be combined with a 10.1-inch display and a keyboard dock with chicklet-style keys.
Barnes & Noble is boosting the number of apps available for its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets, by adding the Google Play store. The software update will add Play alongside the company's own app store, boosting the number of apps available to its users by over 700,000, along with the millions of songs found on Google Play Music, and other Google-supplied content.
A Windows 8 tablet aimed at business professionals has been unveiled by Toshiba, shortly after the company presented its high-resolution Kirabook. The WT310 tablet houses a 11.6-inch 1080p anti-glare display with gesture-enabled touchscreen controls, and an accompanying DigitizerPen as an additional input option.
Images for an upcoming mirrorless camera from Olympus have leaked online. The shots of the PEN E-P5 camera have also been supplemented by a separate leak describing its specifications, including its 16-megapixel sensor being similar to the E-M5, and improvements made to its autofocus and five-axis stabilization.
AT&T has officially announced it will be bringing the LG Optimus G Pro to its network. Confirming previous rumors, the carrier will be offering the smartphone on a two-year contract with an up-front $200 charge, with pre-orders online and in retail stores starting from May 3rd for a release one week later, on May 10th.
Samsung has unveiled a new compact system camera with a large 3.7-inch, 1,152k-dot touchscreen on the back. The NX2000 Smart Camera, using the same 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor as the NX300 shown earlier this year, uses the WVGA-resolution screen for navigation, replacing most of the buttons and controls usually seen on the back of a camera.
Google Glass will have at least one app for it upon its consumer release, following reports that a Twitter client is being worked on for the device. The news of the app comes at the same time as the search company releases a video explaining to future users how to use the wearable computing system, with a heavy emphasis on controls via the touchpad.
Jawbone is increasing its push into the fitness tracking market by announcing it has purchased BodyMedia. The acquisition of another manufacturer of wellness devices comes at the same time as Jawbone opens up its API to developers, allowing for other apps to be able to use data generated by the wrist-based lifestyle monitor, the Up.
A number of patents owned by Kodak have been transferred into Apple's name, according to recent filings at the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patents form part of Apple's haul from the photography firm, and covers a number of different camera-related actions, including the display and sharing of digital images, as well as sharing images over a network wirelessly.
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins believes that the future of tablets are on borrowed time, giving the hardware platform five years to live. The comments, made in an interview yesterday, suggest that the company may not make a successor to the BlackBerry PlayBook, a tablet released in 2011 that failed to take off at retail.
Wacom has revised its Cintiq 22HD display-based input device to include touch controls. The Cintiq 22HD touch, much like the larger Cintiq 24HD touch, introduces multitouch to the stylus-based drawing surface, allowing artists and designers to use gestures for rotating canvases, zooming and panning their work.
Sony has opened up pre-orders for its Xperia Tablet Z in the United States via its online store. Shown off at Mobile World Congress in February, the ten-inch tablet measures just 6.9mm thick and weighs in at 495 grams (17.4 ounces), and as well as being dustproof, it is claimed waterproof enough to survive being at a depth of 3 feet for 30 minutes.
Microsoft has updated its Weather app for Windows 8. The changes include new interactive and dynamically-moving weather maps for cities and regions, satellite images, temperature and precipitation levels, cloud cover, and radar pictures. The Bing blog also notes that weather details for ski resorts in 31 countries around the world are also provided in the update.
A version of the LG Optimus G with features borrowed from the Optimus G Pro is heading to Korea. The Optimus GK has a five-inch 1080p Full HD IPS display with a pixel density of 440ppi, and though it has a smaller screen than its Pro equivalent, it keeps most of the internal specifications the same, just as the Optimus G Pro released specifically for Japan.
LG is putting curved OLED televisions on sale earlier than first thought. The electronics producer is opening up its 55-inch EA9800 to pre-orders in Korea today, with shipments in the country expected in June. The HDTV's release outside of Korea will apparently be announced in the coming months, along with regional pricing.
Samsung has unveiled an update to one of its successful lines of tablets, though it appears to be a mild upgrade rather than a complete product overhaul. The Galaxy Tab 3 houses an upgraded dual-core 1.2GHz processor, up from the 1GHz version used in the Galaxy Tab 2, along with options for 16GB of internal storage with extra microSD expansion.
Google has released the kernel GPL source code for Google Glass, in an effort to provide developers more information on how Glass actually functions. The download, measuring in at around 65 megabytes, comes in the wake of hardware hackers successfully gaining root access to a developer edition of the device within hours, by using already-existing Android exploits.
E-reader giant Amazon is holding a special promotion for its Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, making versions of the device available for $99 with a special promotional code. The Kindle Paperwhite can be bought for $20 off by entering the coupon code "KINDLEPW" during the ordering process. The deal applies to any version of the Kindle Paperwhite, and it runs through April 30, 2013.
HP has finally launched its latest foray into the tablet segment, making the HP Slate 7 available for purchase on its website. The 7-inch Android tablet is a mid-level offering that HP is touting largely on its price. It also features integrated Beats Audio processing, a feature that — along with a $170 starting price — HP hopes will attract buyers.
The Google Glass headset has been rooted, shortly after it has started being issued by the search giant to developers. Jay Freeman, a hacker that goes by "Saurik" and creator of the Cydia app store for jailbroken iPhones and iPads, gained access to a level that he could theoretically prevent the device from being affected by Google's own restrictions.
Samsung is planning to introduce a ruggedized version of the Galaxy S4 this summer, according to a report. The Korean electronics producer is also plotting to put out a smaller version called the Galaxy S4 Mini, mimicking the product strategy of the Galaxy S III, as well as a new eight-inch Galaxy-ranged tablet sometime in June.
Fujifilm has shipped a new compact camera in its FinePix range. The FinePix JZ700 has a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor instead of a CCD sensor used in previous FinePix JZ models, said to help with low-light situations, paired with an 8x optical zoom lens that has a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 24mm wide-angle to 192mm telephoto.
Amazon has dropped the price for some of its Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite e-readers in Canada. The standard Kindle has dropped from $89 to $79, while the Paperwhite version, with its lighter screen and built-in light, sells for $129 instead of $139. The 3G-enabled version of the Kindle Paperwhite remains at $199.
Amazon is planning to extend its range of tablets and ebook readers by selling a set-top box, according to a report. The device, said to be coming out sometime in the fall, will provide streaming content, such as movies and TV shows to the user from the company's Instant Video catalog as well as Prime Instant Video.
Invitations sent to media for a product reveal at Microsoft's Xbox campus suggest that the company is close to unveiling its new game console. The invitation, headed with the Xbox logo, alluding to "A new generation revealed" and using the hashtag #XboxReveal, strongly hints that the event will show off the much-rumored successor to the Xbox 360.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has seen mostly positive comments from technology publications, in reviews published today. The general tone across the board seems to be that the new Samsung flagship device is a nice step-up from its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, consumers will be forced to choose between the extra features the S4 provides with the design of the similar-in-specification HTC One.
Panasonic has revealed a pair of new cameras in the Lumix line. The Lumix DMC-LF1 is a 12-megapixel compact camera with built-in Wi-Fi and NFC, while the Lumix DMC-G6 is a 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds shooter capable of a high-speed burst mode at 7 frames per second, and a half-second booting time.
Gadget and computing accessory manufacturer Belkin has announced the new NetCam HD Wi-Fi Camera. The new wireless networking camera provides users with instantaneous access via a smartphone or tablet to pets, children and other family members at home in 720p high-definition (HD) video resolution with accompanying digital audio.
